And Thus Chaos Ensued
by Dreamingfox
Summary: Looking to make something of his life, Ranma joins the JSDF. In another world on a special mission, Ranma is trying to do what he can to get some answers.
1. Chapter 1

There was never a time in the past few years that Ranma Saotome had ever thought of Nerima as Home. Yes, it was where his mother lived and where he had gone to high school, but he never felt at home there. Sure, the eldest of the Tendo daughters had tried to make it seem warm and inviting, but the younger daughters had their own interests in mind and they rarely meshed with Ranma's. The Tendo dojo had simply become just a place where he could sleep and eat.

At least Nerima had proven interesting for much of the time that he'd been there as new challenges and challengers arrived almost weekly for the first few months. Many of the frequent fights he'd been involved in had been enjoyable at first but it had become evident that he had improved drastically while they had only marginally improved. Only Happosai and Cologne provided him with an actual challenge as they both brought with them centuries of experience.

Once Kuno and Nibiki had graduated things had quieted down at school, though his fiancée problems were still unresolved. Akane had accepted that she was no longer the best martial artist in Nerima and focused on the one area that Ranma was weakest – academics. Of course she'd enrolled in cram school and had even been accepted into a second tier university, all while Ranma had opted to simply graduate before disappearing.

For the first few weeks most had simply thought that he had gone off to the mountains to train. They were right of course, though that only scratched the surface of what he was truly up to.

"How'd I let you drag me into this?" Ranma muttered.

"It's our first free weekend in months," the older man beside him stated. "I've been looking forward to the summer event and I'm going to need your help in carrying everything."

"How can you even afford this Itami?"

"Like I said, I've been looking forward to this event, why do you think I've been living off of instant raman and basic meals for the last two months? Add to that the money you lost in last week's poker game…"

"I'm never playing poker with you guys again," the martial artist turned sergeant groused.

"I can't believe you're such a capable actor but can't even bluff," Itami smirked. "Just be glad I didn't have you dress up in your other form."

Grumbling, Ranma followed the other sergeant. Though the man was much older than he was, both were NCO's. Yet they had vasty different reasons for joining the JSDF. Itami had simply lacked the skills and motivation to take on any other job while Ranma had actually been recruited. His years of traveling through Asia and the events that occurred during his stay in Nerima had actually caught the eye of the JSDF and certain other people. They were an odd pair to be sure – contrasting and contradicting, yet compatible due to their easy going natures.

"Damn," muttered Itami as he walked into a signpost.

"You really are an otaku," Ranma sighed as he held his hand out to the other man.

Checking his phone, Itami scowled, "I'm out of energy."

"You or your character?"

"My character of course – I was in the midst of a battle on the final level of the dungeon. Now I'm going to have to restart the dungeon."

Shaking his head, he took the other man's hand and helped him to his feet. They walked in comfortable silence after leaving the train station even as Itami used his phone to get a list of the different events and groups that would be at the event.

From the corner of his eye, Ranma spotted something fly down the street. "Just how big is this event? I'm sure that there's cosplay and stuff like that, but how far do some of the fans go?"

"It's huge," the other man shrugged. "I don't check out the cosplay much, but I've heard of those who really go all-out."

"So seeing a flying dragon isn't unusual?"

That caught the older man's attention. "They don't let you fly anything."

"Then what's that?" Ranma pointed in the direction of the convention center. Even from several blocks away he could tell that it was a dragon with a man riding it. The crowds in the street were running away from the dragon rider in a state of clear panic.

"We have to do something about this!" The remark caught Ranma by surprise. There were few times that Itami got worked up about anything outside of anime, manga, and light novels. "If this keeps up the Summer Event is going to be cancelled!"

Shaking his head, Ranma set off towards the source of the disturbance. Rather than running through and against the crowds he opted for springing atop the cars, vending machines or guard railings. The sound of gunfire rang out over the screams from the crowd. Once he neared dragon he grabbed a trash can and lobbed it at the armored rider atop the beast. The pair managed to turn so that the dragon took the blow in the chest. It was not an actual attack but an attempt to get the rider's attention.

Grabbing a sewer cover he flung it at the pair, catching the dragon in the wing and sending it and the rider crashing into the front of a building. Fortunately there was no one under them as they collided with the street. Wrenching the spear from the knight's hand, Ranma drove the tip into the dazed beast's eye. As a martial artist he knew the value of a life, but as a soldier his priority was the civilians first. It was a lesson his instructors had spent the past three months beating into his skull. This was a battlefield, not a duel.

He could see an army of, well, an army marching out of a mysterious gate that stood in the middle of the street several blocks away. Swiftly but methodically the troops were marching down the street, cutting down any in their path though some, mostly humans, were taking prisoners back through the gate. There were at least a couple thousand standing between him and the gate, filling the side streets and alleys as more and more of their number emerged.

He knew that there was only so much he could do. Yes, he was considered a martial arts prodigy, and he was sure that he could defeat any of the armed men in one-on-one combat, but he would be going up against a legion alone. There were different tactics involved, especially when fighting against units trained to fight in formation. Still, he knew he needed to do something.

Cars were not made to be picked up by a person. Still, Ranma was not an ordinary person. Ripping off the door he hurled it at the approaching army. Even bracing themselves behind their sturdy shields, the knights were knocked back by the projectile. As they scrambled to reassemble their formation they were assaulted by the entire car being thrown at them.

He could not allow them to form up again, and they knew it. Rather than firing a volley of arrows to clear the streets they sent another dragon rider towards him. Spear still in hand, Ranma took aim. The speed and force behind his throw caught the rider and mount by surprise. The spear tip itself shouldn't have been able to pierce the dragon's tough scales, but with just enough ki to re-enforce it combined with the physical force expelled, it impaled the dragon causing both rider and mount to crash into the street.

Taking advantage of the situation he quickly climbed atop the dragon. Pillaging the dead knight of his weapons Ranma eyed the soldiers before him. The second spear claimed the head of a mounted knight/soldier, further disrupting the invader's formation. Rushing in, swords in hand, Ranma made sure that he wasn't pinned down. Using mail boxes, guard rails, cars, vending machines, and even a few fire hydrants, he managed to slow the march of the soldiers.

X

A different kind of chaos reigned in the days following the "Ginza Incident". For every hour that he had fought he spent another three in a debriefing. When he wasn't in a meeting he found himself helping to guard the hastily constructed fortifications around the Gate to keep people out and to keep people from going in.

"Sergeant Saotome," a booming voice called out, alerting the martial artist.

Snapping to attention Ranma briefly scanned the approaching man's chest. The pins said that the older man was a Warrant. Drilled into him after three months of basic training was the need to salute the superior officer. "Sir."

The warrant officer returned his salute, "1st Lieutenant Yanagida would like a word with you."

The small office had been gutted during the initial attack but had been quickly refurbished by the JDSF after the business had been compensated for the broken equipment and use of the space. Entering the room, he offered the 1st Lieutenant a salute.

"At ease." The man's eyes were sharp and observant as he looked Ranma over. It was hard to discern the man's age, but he had the rigidness that suggested years of experience and participation in the JDSF. "I've read your file and it's very impressive."

"Thank you, sir."

"You've spent years traveling through China and southern Asia, picking up various martial arts and bits of the dialect, correct?"

"Sir, yes, that is correct, sir."

"And you've had experience with magic."

"Sir, that is correct, sir." Ranma's mind was quickly peeling back and processing the limited information that the 1st Lieutenant was providing.

"Strictly speaking, this conversation never occurred." Ranma fought the urge to raise his brow at the admission. He handed the Sergeant a packet. "I know that many have already praised you for what you did during the Incident. Effective immediately you are now a Second Lieutenant with the corresponding pay and responsibilities."

"Thank you, sir." He opened the first file before eyeing the next file.

"Given your background and ability, there was some debate as to how to best utilize your skills," Yanagida admitted. "Ultimately it was decided that you would be best suited for this undertaking."

Ranma opened the file and scanned through it. During the fighting he'd kept his eye on what was coming in and out of the Gate. By his own count there had been over a score of civilians that had been captured and brought back through the Gate, with another two score of knights bringing with them bags and boxes filled with papers and other items that he wasn't able to completely make out. "This mission is going to be off book."

Yanagida nodded once, "We don't know what's on the other side, and we can't afford to send a full contingent there yet, but no one would notice one person. It may be months before the ministry approves of an expedition through the gate."

"I understand." Ranma paged through the file. There had been over a hundred casualties of the Incident, with another three hundred injured amongst the civilian populace. But how many of the missing had been captured? How many were still alive?

"Your mission is to find out any information you can, and once we send the expedition force through, you are to rejoin them." The first lieutenant looked him squarely in the eye. "Do you understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir," he shot back.

"Good. Take anything you need out of the other room, and burn the file." With that the first lieutenant left.

The room opposite from where they'd met was filled with the confiscated weapons that the mysterious invaders had on them. Most of the forty thousand had been killed, though perhaps a few hundred had been captured after the Gate was secured. Some of the JSDF's weapons had been left in the room as well, though only the weapons that had been damaged during the fighting. While effective, he decided to pass on the damaged firearms knowing that they could backfire on him if he failed to properly maintain them. Still, Yanagida had left him a small present at the cost of a three month's pay.

In less than an hour he'd packed away everything that he thought useful and was on his way. Slipping past the guards was easy for him, though he left a note for the first lieutenant on how to address the glaring deficiencies in their defenses.

Passing through the Gate, he could only hope that the time of day was somehow in sync with Japan as the Gate itself was dark and foreboding. Before he realized it he was through the mysterious gate in a foreign world.

X

For the first time in months, Ranma was actually glad that he'd endured basic training. The physical aspect of the training had been easy, but because of that his instructors had been forced to think outside the box with him. While he had performed the same exercises and drills in both forms, he was also pushed mentally. He had been forced to read while performing all of the physical tests. It had started out in Japanese, but soon transitioned to Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Russian, English, Latin, Greek, German, and Arabic. The lessons had only stopped because they'd run out of instructors who could shout out orders to him in the chosen language. The unorthodox lessons were enough that he was now able to carry on basic conversations as well as read at a high school level in each of the languages. Learning the language of the Special Region was not as difficult as he'd expected as the language appeared to be derived from Greek.

In the two months since he'd come to the Special Region he had become fluent in the primary language of the Empire and mapped out the area around the Gate as well as purchased a few different maps of the region. Though he'd been forced to remain in his female body for much of the time due to the fact that hot water was not readily available, he was not surprised by the fact that women were generally looked down upon.

"These are nice scales," the merchant stated as he eyed the dragon scales. "Where did you get these?"

"Schwarz Forest," the buxom redhead replied.

The merchant eyed him speculatively, taking note of the spear on Ranma's pack. "What about the teeth?"

"We already sold the ones that we haven't decided to keeping for our own use," the martial artist turned dragon hunter replied. He was glad he'd scavenged some of the dragon's remains that R&D hadn't claimed. Had he told the truth it would have been unbelievable, but implying that he was with a group would make any who sought to steal from him think twice about such an act.

With the deal done, he quickly pocketed the money before pulling his hood over his head. In the drab garb that he'd acquired he wouldn't stand out. It was not that his features in either form stood out, but that most civilians wore simple outfits consisting of two or three colors which corresponded with their duties, faith, and social status.

"You came from the south then," the merchant eyed the buxom redhead. "Did you pass through Itarica and Crety?"

Ranma shook his head, "Why do you ask?"

The merchant appeared anxious, "I have family in Crety. They say that a plague has hit the village that affects only the women."

"Just the women?" Ranma asked. He'd heard the same rumors on his way to Rondel as the village had at the time been the next village east along the road that skirted the southern side of the Romaria Mountains.

"Just the women," the merchant nodded.

"I will keep that in mind," he replied with a slight nod of gratitude. "I am sorry I could not provide you with any further information."

Though his initial travels had been to get a feel for the land, Ranma had come to Rondel for a reason. The city was home to the Magic Academy. Itarica and the smaller villages that he'd passed through, many of the larger buildings in Rondel were circular and had conical roofs. The largest building in the city was larger than even some of the modern stadiums that Ranma had seen in Japan and boasted a conical roof. Yet despite their impressive architecture the city's lay out was confusing. There were no defined streets, merely areas between buildings where one could walk.

His hunch to check out the Academy seemed to pay off as the excited students and researchers were more than willing to explain to anyone who was willing to listen about what they were studying or researching. Yet even as interested as he was about magic, Ranma knew that there was something in particular that he wanted to hear about which also happened to be something that few of the students he'd spoken with had any information on.

At first glance the be speckled brunette appeared to be just like all the other students but the way that the others treated her suggested that she was someone different. Ranma glanced at her, noting that her clothes were a bit more wore out and weathered than the other students. The ink stains were not uncommon, though the sheer number that she had suggested that she spent a good amount of time writing. From the corner of his eye he watched her as he listened to the other students and researchers.

As the hour grew late the students began to wander off in small groups, often discussing bits of their research or discussing magic as they left. He had learned little other than the fact that there was a pantheon of gods and that they occasionally raised a devout follower to the rank of apostle. The apostles were essentially demi-god and after a millennium they could become a true god. Most of the higher gods had several aspects or ideologies and when an apostle ascended into godhood they often took on an aspect.

He little knowledge about the Empire's political structure other than that it seemed to be similar to Rome's senate. There was even less information about the Gate. The young woman that remained was the only student remaining as she diligently copied scroll after scroll. Perhaps she had read something in one of the many scrolls that she'd been copying.

"What brings you here, traveler?" a feminine voice asked from behind him.

There were few people capable of sneaking up to him, the woman before him was not amongst that number. "I came here for some answers."

The woman's piercing dark blue eyes gazed into his soul. She was no ordinary woman – she was a goddess made flesh. The thought was slightly surprising, though not unexpected. The magic of the Special Region was more prominent and prevalent than it was in his homeworld. Part of him wondered if the gods of his world had been prone to presenting themselves like this when Japan and the rest of the world was in their dark ages.

"Either you are ignorant or unimpressed," the goddess said as she tried to impress him with her majesty. "I may be just a minor goddess, but it is not often that any of the gods or goddesses grace anyone with their presence. I find your behavior intriguing."

The young scholar that he'd been about to approach was surprised by the presence of the goddess, her eyes wide in awe at the sight before her.

"Knowledge is not given but granted through reading, study and research," the ink-stained scholar stated. The goddess smiled.

"Is it really?" Ranma remarked sarcastically. "I just sat here for the better part of the day and had several students explaining to me their theories and thoughts on various concepts of magic and science; I have in essence, learned what they know about their fields of study in a matter of hours while they have dedicated years to learn what they just shared."

"Knowledge does not equate understanding," the woman retorted.

"It may not, but it leads to understanding," he added. "The right questions to the right people can lead to the right answers." He was not keen on getting into a theological debate. "'The control of information is something the elite always does, particularly in a despotic form of government. Information, knowledge, is power. If you control information, you can control people.'"

The goddess flinched as though slapped, though she regained her composure. "Are you saying that I am a tyrant?"

"You may not be, but your actions seem to indicate that you support a tyrant," Ranma suggested. "Who else but a tyrant would send four legions of soldiers to attack the unarmed, unprepared populace of another world? I doubt that the Gate appeared just as a legion of troops was passing by. From the looks of things it appears as though the Empire had not expected to encounter such stiff opposition else they would not have left only a few hundred to guard this side of the Gate."

"Perhaps there are those who understand how and when the Gate will open, but it is up to them to do with that information as they please," Elange replied coolly.

"Can I close the Gate?" he ask automatically.

"I have granted you one answer because you intrigue me," the goddess stated. With a wave of her hand a cup of hot water emptied its contents over Ranma's head, triggering his transformation. "What is your name?"

"I am Ranma Saotome," he replied unflinchingly. "What can I do to get another question answered?"

"Normally," the scholar interjected, the look in her eyes saying that she was curious about the transformation but was willing to leave that conversation for a latter time, "one of the devout would impress Elange with a feat of knowledge either by asking her a question that she could not answer or by presenting her with a magical or technological advancement. Most take a lifetime trying to achieve a single feat. You have asked a question without accomplishing a feat and she has provided you with the answer."

Reaching into his pack, Ranma pulled out a knife and some wood. Taking the blade to the soft wood, he carved out a propeller and set it on the end of a second stick. Trapping the second stick into the palm of his hand he quickly pulled his hands apart, sending the propeller flying into the air.

"Interesting," Elange stated, "but it is not your invention, is it?"

A guilty smirk formed on the martial artist's face, "No, it is not."

Holding out her hand, Elange caught the propeller as it descended, "For your honesty and this trinket, I will answer your second question – The Gate will close on its own."

Before he could open his mouth to ask how he might earn a third answer the young scholar interjected, "You have already impressed her with your trinket and intrigued her to earn two answers. If you wish a third you will need perform a physical feat demonstrating your knowledge."

Elange smiled as she offered the young scholar a set of eye glasses. "Take this Arpeggio El Lalena – through those I will be able to see what you see and witness the feat that the traveler attempts to perform." She turned to Ranma, "Once the glass turns black you may return to Rondel to present me with your final question."

X

A/N

That's it for now. I'm off to Anime Milwaukee!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note –

I'm going to stick to referring to Ranma as a male, because in his eyes, even though he might have a female body, he is still a guy. Some of the other characters will refer to him depending on his current form or the form he was in at the time, but Ranma still thinks of himself as a guy.

No, this is not a lock fic, though Ranma will spend much of the fic in his female form because of the fact that warm water is not as readily available.

Thanks for all the reviews and feedback.

Yes, it would have been tricky to have a OC squad supporting Ranma, and even trickier to have a squad of martial artists backing him up, but Ranma is used to doing everything by himself, even if he's in a system that focuses on team/squad mentality.

Either I have a bad map of Falmart, or the Gate – Wiki site is wrong. There is no way Crety is east of Italica as Pina and her forces would have had at least past by Crety before they got to Italica from the Capital.

The one sad truth that basic training had ground into Ranma's skull was that he needed to be a better team player. It was one thing to have guys like Ryoga, Mousse, or Kuno by his side helping him as they were able to keep up with him despite the fact that they were always waiting for the opportune time to betray him. Or maybe it was because he was so used to having his partners try and betray him that he rarely felt the need to team up with others. Then again, even when he had teamed up with his former rivals it had been because the threat had been so much more than he could handle alone.

"So what kind of physical feat would impress Elange?" he asked his companion. He had to admit that Arpeggio El Lalena was more than she appeared. He'd pegged her as a bookworm, but she showed surprising fortitude as she was able at least able to keep up with his forced march for a few hours before he'd been forced to carry her the rest of the day.

"I doubt that dragging a cart like a mule would impress her," the brunette muttered.

Said cart was what the scholar turned chronicler was now riding as Ranma provided the muscle to move it. Had he been traveling alone the trip would have been easy, but with someone forced to tag along the trip had become something of a bother. While leaving her behind had been an option he knew that if he wanted a third answer from Elange he needed to bring her along even if she slowed him down significantly.

Since his meeting with the Goddess of Knowledge he'd tried a variety of things to impress his chronicler. In both forms he'd bested two hundred fighters, won a thousand bouts of arm wrestling, and swam the Row Stream to the next village and back to Rondel while towing a boat. Ranma knew the limits of his own strength and though he far surpassed everyone that he had thus far encountered in the Special Region, he knew that there were a few who were physically stronger than he was. Ryoga was of course just a shade stronger, Taro in both forms was much stronger, and Lime was perhaps the strongest of them all, at least physically. Ranma knew that he could not match them in strength alone, but what else could he do to impress Elange?

That was the problem that pestered him as he really did want to know more about the Gate and thus far she was the only reliable source available. It did not help that obtaining that knowledge was one of the reasons why he had come to the Special Region. Still, he had some information that he knew his superiors would find useful once they established a base in the Special Region.

"Why are we headed to Crety?" Arpeggio asked, her voice straining to contain the unease she felt.

"It's the second fastest route to Italica," he replied. With the river long behind them he had made a point to stay in his male form. Word of the strange plague that afflicted only women had long since reached Rondel. "Even with the cart, we don't have sufficient supplies to head directly to Alnus, and the rode goes through Italica."

"You think that you can stop this mysterious plague and that it would be the feat you need to impress Elange?"

He really did dislike smart women. In the time that they'd spent together Arpeggio had learned to read him. She had quickly accepted that he was afflicted with a curse that would alter his form when splashed with water and did not think anything less of him because of it. While she was occasionally irked by his lack of feminine modesty, she did not hold it against him. She had even explained to him one of the marriage customs of the land, prompting him to always insist on them sleeping in separate rooms when they stayed at an inn or tavern, and in her getting the meager tent to herself whenever they were out in the wilderness.

Ranma shook his head, the thought had crossed his mind, but he was not sure that he could actually find a cure as his limited knowledge of medicine consisted of popping a few pills whenever the doctor suggested it to him. "I think that's Crety," he said as he pointed to the village in the distance. Stopping the cart, he reached into his pack. "Do you remember how to put the mask on?"

She nodded even as she accepted the field protective mask.

It was the only one that he'd taken, and it had been used during the Ginza Incident. Superior technology had helped the JSDF prevail that day and the field protective mask had played a role. He hoped that it would be enough now.

Arpeggio's slow, deliberate breaths eased his mind as he carted her towards the buildings. Even from a distance it was clear that there was life in the oasis. A lush, green canopy stood in stark contrast to the surrounding desert.

"The creator probably gives makes it easier for tree roots to access the underground water," he surmised as he looked down on the oasis.

"This isn't Crety," the scholar stated as they neared the forest. "You must have gone towards the oasis instead of sticking to the roads again." She reached for her map and examined it.

"I can't help it if the maps aren't reliable," he remarked defensively. He knew that he had a tendency to go straight as the crows flew, but that was how things were done when one could hop from roof to roof. "Don't get worked up, you're just going to use up the filter in your mask if you do."

"To think that such a forest would be here in the desert," Arpeggio remarked. "There might be a spring or a well here, though the ground here is still very dry. It looks like we are stumbled across one of the ruins of Arunn. It was a kingdom that was absorbed into the Empire over five centuries ago.

He was glad that it was dry as he did not want to risk catching whatever illness it was that plagued the region. Taking a moment to strip, he quickly applied some water-proof lotion.

"I see that it is not just feminine modesty that you lack, but modesty in general," his companion sighed. Though she was not facing him directly, he could tell that she'd seen her share of him while he'd been in nothing but his boxers.

There was something about the forest that bothered him. "Keep your eyes open."

"It is said that the Kingdom of Arunn was home to cockatrice," the road scholar pointed out as she stepped out of the cart. "Do not look into their eyes"

"Their gaze petrifies you," he finished.

She nodded.

His hand on his throwing knives, each step made him feel all the more uneasy. He was no stranger to magic, but this, this felt evil and unnatural.

Ranma did not measure distance by, well, distance, instead he marked it by time. His keen mind was able to estimate distances by how long it would take him to travel said distance at his normal gate, as well as the time it took him to cover the distance while running or jumping. As he walked along the path through the forest he made sure to always be within a hop, skip, or jump away from a tree. He did not do this intentionally, but after years of intense training his mind and body had learned to keep avenues open should he need to retreat.

It was his highly honed instincts that had prompted him to sweep Arpeggio into his arms before jumping into a low tree branch.

"What did you do that for?" she demanded, her voice coming out even harsher behind the field protective mask.

In answer he pointed to the shambling figure that emerged from the underbrush. A fully clothed woman turned towards them, her face expressionless and her eyes vacant and lifeless. "Look at her eyes – is that natural?"

Arpeggio strained to see. Years of reading in questionable lighting hindered her. "That- that is not natural. The Goddess Hardy is said to gather the souls of the deceased and lead them into the afterlife. When a soul remains in the body after death, the body of the deceased wanders. It's unnatural."

"What do we do about her?" Ranma asked. The zombie in question was slowly shambling towards them, its lifeless eyes gazing at them.

"We must destroy the entire body for soul of the deceased to move on," she explained.

"Right, so I disable it, you burn it with a fireball?"

She nodded.

Setting her down on the branch, Ranma unsheathed his blades before dropping down to the forest floor. The zombie lurched at him but soon found itself on the ground as he swiftly separated it from its legs and then its arms. Even without its limbs it tried to follow him. Sheathing one of his blades he piled the limbs atop the torso, giving Arpeggio an easy target for her fireball.

Using some of the dry wood he fashioned a torch. He knew that while Arpeggio was a skilled magic user, but she would not be able to cast the fireball continuously. The uneasy feeling he'd had was because of the scent in the air, a scent that he'd failed to recognize until the zombie had nearly surprised them – it was the stench of death and decay.

They encountered over a score of zombies before they finally reached a tall wall. All of the dead were young women who appeared to be the picture of full health except for their lifeless eyes.

Securing her to him so that he could climb with her on his back without having to worry about dropping her, he reached the top of a mighty young tree. Vines and ivies covered every surface though the stonework beneath could still be glimpsed here and there. Many buildings had fallen or been consumed by the growing trees.

"This must have been a noble's garden when Arunn had fought the Empire," the scholar explained. "After five centuries it is amazing that this place is still standing. That giant appears to be at the direct center of the forest."

"Hold on," he ordered her. Sweeping her off of her feet he leapt off of the branch. He knew he was wasting time lugging her around, but she had knowledge of the Special Region that he needed. Staying atop the walls he made sure that they avoided any trouble with the walking dead and the cockatrices.

The final wall was twice as thick as the others, though it too was lined with ivies and vines. Beyond the wall was a fifty meter drop leading to an open garden and the base of the gigantic tree. "Kami – that's one big bull."

Even Arpeggio was speechless as she took in the size of the monster below. Standing a good ten meters tall, fifteen if you included the horns, was a massive centaur.

"It's eating something," the scholar finally stated.

Ranma fought the urge to vomit as he realized what the beast was consuming. In its massive hands a person appeared to be nothing more than a doll. "There are three entry ways," he stated, pointing out the humungous doors that allowed the beast access to what he assumed was an underground maze. "Those holes in the flooring we saw before, they might have been part of an elaborate trap."

"Or a means for the zombies or cockatrices to fall into the labyrinth," Arpeggio surmised. "Though I suppose you are correct – the minotaur is here to protect that tree."

Sighing, Ranma set his companion down. Untying the rope that secured her to him, he fastened it to a section of the wall they stood on. "You're just here to observe."

Arpeggio blinked in astonishment. "You can't be serious!"

"It's here to protect something down there, if I wait too long it's going to be dark and I won't be able to properly see everything that's down there." Unsheathing his blades he stepped off the ledge.

Even the beast was surprised at his unorthodox approach. Letting out a bellow that shook the ground, it charged at the tiny challenger.

Ranma rushed in fearlessly, waiting for the beast to either reach out for him or to swipe at him before launching himself into the air so that he landed on the monster's outstretched arm. With a well-placed slash was meant to sever the muscles in the thumb and wrist, disabling the creature's hand but only managed to draw blood.

In a display of intelligence the beast picked up a large branch, wielding it like a club. Swinging it at its antagonist it was surprised when Ranma rushed in under the blow and scored two more slashes along its lead leg. After a few more exchanges it was clear to Ranma that his attacks were not effective. It was like a gnat fighting a human.

But this gnat had some tricks up its sleeves. Taunting the beast, he began to enrage it further even as he avoided the deadly strikes. Soon the beast was breathing heavy. It was frothing at the mouth from its exertion as it tried to kill the human. Little did it realize that as it raged, Ranma had led it into an intricate trap by using its own heated battle aura against the beast, but then again, that was the point of the Hiryu Shoten Ha. Yet for the technique to work effectively Ranma knew that he needed to draw out as much of the creature's rage and battle aura as possible as well as make the spiral as large as possible. Using much of the garden took considerable time plus he had to make sure not to let Arpeggio get caught up in it as well. That the minotaur did not radiate a battle aura was disconcerting, still, Ranma was confident that his plan would work.

The corkscrew punch he threw triggered the man-made tornado. The fierce winds picked up all manner of debris – bits of stone that had broken away when the minotaur had smashed at Ranma, broken branches, bits of bone, feces, and the smaller tree/shrubs. Assaulted by the flying barrage, the minotaur was surprised to find itself being lifted into the air. Surprise gave way to fear as it realized just how high it was as it was lifted over the top of the high outer wall of the pit. Tumbling in the air, it tried to keep sight of the garden that it had been tasked with guarding, but even the mighty tree vanished as it was hurled into the heavens.

Heaving a sigh of contentment, Ranma took a moment to throw one final taunt at the vanishing figure of the minotaur before rushing up the wall to make sure that Arpeggio was alright. Smiling smugly he untied the rope that had secured her to the wall. The tornado had been one of the largest he'd made, though it was only a bit stronger than the one that he'd used against Happosai's lust aura, the elder and younger Kuno, and Mousse back in high school.

"How did you do that?" the scholar asked.

"Just a technique I learned," he beamed. True, it wasn't a technique that he'd created, but it was one that he'd mastered and adapted.

"While I admit to being impressed, Elange wasn't," Arpeggio stated as she pointed to the glasses she wore. "It might have helped had you slain the minotaur, but you just banished it with the storm you conjured."

Ranma sighed. He was about to say that nothing could have survived that, but he knew from experience that not everyone succumbed to that technique. "Right, so let's find out what the beast was guarding."

* * *

As the Goddess of Knowledge, Elange knew many things, yet she could not recall the last time she had been so amused. The otherworldly traveler had an interesting curse, and he was surprisingly intelligent despite being a warrior and traveler. She had not expected him to leap into the minotaur's pit but he had shown a cleverness that she had not anticipated in devising a means of dealing with the guardian. True, he did not kill it, but he had dealt with it and defeated it.

Still, it had been Arpeggio who had deduced that the plague afflicting the region was attributed to the magical tree that fed off of the corpse of the arrogant noble woman who had sought immortality. True, Ranma had unearthed the remains during his battle with the minotaur but it had been her follower who had made the connection.

Yes, Ranma Saotome was a man to watch.

* * *

The smell of battle was in the air as Ranma and Arpeggio approached Italica's Western Gate. Cautiously, he took the scholar into the trees to avoid detection. The city walls stood only thirty feet tall but the fields were a good hundred meters away. Armed guardsmen stood atop the city wall defending against a detachment of a hundred armed men. It was a diversionary tactic meant to force the defenders to spread their men out. From the wall one guardsman would be worth ten attackers, but an experienced group of guardsmen might even be worth twenty. Judging from the arrow shafts in the ground several paces in front of the invaders it was clear that there was little going on here.

"Stay here." Arpeggio did not bother to argue as she hid in the field. She rarely ever put herself into harm's way and she knew that whenever Ranma fought seriously there was great potential for harm and her presence would only hinder him.

Fortunately for him the small force before him had not anticipated being attacked from their exposed flank, a testament to the fact that they were part of a larger force. Working quickly but quietly, he gathered several rocks and heaved them into the air. He hoped that the wind would stay true as he dashed to engage the troops. As he ran he got a better read on the soldiers and who was the ranking figure. Uncertain if he should take out the commander or the magic user at his side, he opted for the commander. Taking out a rock he let loose another throw. With a solid ding the commander fell off of his horse just as several of the rocks he'd initially thrown rained down on the unsuspecting soldiers.

Unprepared, the hundred or so men were quickly overwhelmed by the flurry of kicks and punches that unhorsed them. The mage went down quickly with just a single punch though the other soldiers closest to the commander and the mage suffered a similar fate. Though their armor protected them from much, the weight added to the force that they hit the ground with, leaving many dazed or winded while their mounts scattered. In a flash he had nearly two score unseated while the other three rode towards the south gate.

Using bits of their own clothes, Ranma secured his prisoners while Arpeggio climbed down the tree and rejoined him.

"It does not appear as though the marauders are coming back," she stated, her eyes turned towards the south.

The distant sound of fighting seemed to have died off as well, suggesting that perhaps the marauders had given up for the day. With some trepidation, Ranma and Arpeggio approached the gate, their prisoners in tow.

"I'll leave this to you," he said with a shrug as he noticed that a few of the guardsmen had drawn their bows.

"Who goes there?" the gate's commander demanded.

'Either a woman or young boy,' he surmised. He'd passed through Italica before. It was the largest city within a day or two of Alnus Hill, though there were a few villages within a day's travel of the Gate as well. As the largest city he had come here to get a better understanding of the Special Region but due to his limited mastery of the language had only understood the part that the former count was more interested in trade and agriculture but had nonetheless answered the Emperor's summons with what men at arms and guardsmen he could muster, leaving only those too old or too young along with the women to defend the city. But where had the bandits come from? And why were they so well organized? Their tactics and dress suggested that they were at least trained soldiers, but why would they be attacking Italica?

"I am Arpeggio El Lalena, and I have been tasked by Elange to chronicle the adventures of Ranma Saotome as he seeks to accomplish a feat worthy enough of meriting an answer from the Goddess of Knowledge." It was long winded, but true.

The guardsmen conversed, surprised but also confused. It was rare that a warrior would wish for an answer from the Goddess of Knowledge, and no scholar could have defeated even the tiny detachment that had been sent to harass the Western Gate's defenders.

"Why would the Goddess Elange assign one of her faithful to chronicle the adventures of even such a skilled warrior?" the guardsman shouted.

"Because she finds him intriguing," Arpeggio stated.

They waited as the guardsmen deliberated. Finally, "You may approach."

Despite their welcome Ranma could feel the unease that the guardsmen felt as the pair approached the gate with their prisoners. Torches lit the area between the gate and the bulwark providing the soldiers beyond the bulwark and along the wall with plenty of light should they need to let loose their arrows. A stern man with a cloak stood rigidly before him with what most would assume were the four most experienced guardsmen but Ranma knew that the most threatening fighters were the ones to his three o'clock and eight o'clock.

"I am Marcus El Lotta of the Italica militia," the cloaked man stated. He was clearly a magic user but he was well past his prime as a battle mage.

"I am Arpeggio El Lalena."

"I know who you are, you are the first of the Sage Cote's disciples," the man said as he stepped forward. "I had thought that it might be someone using your name, but it really is you. And you came from the road to Crety."

Ranma scratched his head, forgetting that he was in his female form currently after the slight down pour that they'd encountered earlier in the day. "Ranma is cursed – he was born a man but is currently in a womang's body."

The guardsmen looked at him skeptically.

"Bring us some warm water," Arpeggio instructed. Someone provided some boiling water from a small fire.

With a sigh, Ranma pulled the hood from his head before pouring the water over himself, triggering his transformation back into his original form.

"This is Ranma Saotome, a traveler who come to Rondel to find some answers to the questions he had," Arpeggio stated as she gestured at Ranma. "The Goddess has taken an interest in him and saw fit to answer two of his questions, but now he seeks to accomplish a third feat."

The man's eyes widened. "A third feat? Why would he not simply ask for a cure for his curse?"

"There is no cure for his curse," she replied. Again the guardsmen gasped.

"What of the plague that troubles Crety?" another guardsman asked.

"Ranma found the source of the plague and destroyed it." He really was getting tired of having her speak for him, but playing dumb was useful.

"We can go back to Crety then," someone muttered.

"What's to keep the marauders from following you west?" the man's companion asked.

Ranma nudged Arpeggio, "What is happening in Italica?"

"We are besieged," Marcus explained. "The remnants of the Unified Armies seem to have targeted us instead of staying to fight the army from the other world. Let me take you to the leader of the militia."

The second lieutenant perked up at hearing that an army had appeared at the Gate. It had to be the JSDF, but he couldn't be sure until he returned to Alnus Hill. But first he'd need to help defend Italica.

Ranma was not impressed with the layout of the city. Many of the homes along the walls belonged to the farmers that tended the fields though they only worked the lands that were owned by the Formal Clan. A few stores were sprinkled in but they were closer to the center of town or along the two main roads which ran directly east/west and north/south. The houses stood a good fifty feet from the city walls, and around the gates were a hastily erected bulwark meant to draw any invaders into a bottleneck.

Unlike the West Gate, the South Gate was filled with people. Over a hundred young men armed with pitch forks, old swords, and fishing spears rushed to clean up the area. Along the walls were scores of men, most armed with hunting bows and swords. They were the hardiest and most experienced, but they were also far older than they should be.

"Where is Commander Stall?" Marcus asked as they neared the South Gate.

"He took an arrow to the throat," a blood soaked man stated. "Some knights arrived and are meeting with the Countess as we speak." Unlike Marcus, this new man was young, if he could in fact be called a man as he appeared to be in his mid teens. He wore lose fitting second hand armor that was perhaps scavenged off of a dead soldier or militia member. Roughly half their number appeared to be full humans while the rest had animalistic characteristics.

Taking a closer look at the city's defenders, he realized that all of the males were well into their fifties or had a significant injury and the rest were boys who were at best fifteen, then again it was harder to tell with the demi-humans. A good number were women hiding their figures beneath padding and loose armor. His mind was racing, taking into account the resources at hand, the number of enemies that had been spotted, and the invader's tactics over the past week.

"Form up!" someone shouted the order, throwing the militia into chaos as no one seemed to know what to do.

Turning to the direction of the order, Ranma watched as four steel clad figures approached from the center of town. "What is that symbol?"

Arpeggio shrugged, "I've never seen it but I would guess that it's the insignia of a troop of knights."

A slender woman with dark red hair led the other four knights into the midst of the militia. "I am Princess Pina Co Lada and I have been granted command of the Italica militia by Countess Formal." There was some murmuring and muttering from the militia but no one dared to contradict the princess. "You there, who are those men that are bound up? Are they deserters?"

Marcus glanced at Arpeggio and Ranma, "They are prisoners taken by this journeyman and his chronicler."

The sea of people standing between Ranma and the Princess parted, giving Pina a better view of the cursed second lieutenant and his prisoners. "A journeyman and his chronicler, I have never heard of such an arrangement. Why have you come here?"

"He seeks to impress the Goddess Elange with a feat of strength so that he may ask of her a third question." Arpeggio's words had little effect on the non-intellectuals though it did seem to impress the educated knights.

"A third feat? Then why would you come to Italica?" the formidable man behind the princess asked.

"We just traveled along the road from Crety," the scholar explained.

"What of the plague in Crety?" another militia member asked.

"He found the source of the plague and destroyed it," Arpeggio sighed.

"If only he were an Apostle," someone lamented.

"Even an Apostle couldn't save us."

Around and around the conversation went, but Ranma turned his attention to his captives, "How many of you are there?"

The commander sneered then spat at Ranma.

Pulling out a vial, Ranma smiled, "You've seen my cursed form." The commander blanched while the mage went stiff. "You may not turn out to be a pretty as me, but I'm sure that your former comrades would still try to take a turn…." To demonstrate his point he uncorked the vial and splashed a bit of the water onto the commander, instantly transforming the proud man into a woman. Ranma turned to the captives, "Now, how many soldiers are there?"

"Over seven thousand," the mage replied. "We're just the men at arms. All of the nobles and commanders that were leading us died at Alnus Hill. Right now there's some fighting to see who'll be in charge, but once that settles they'll attack in full force. We figured if we could break through before a commander is decided we might be able to sneak off with some of the spoils before the rest come through."

"Seven thousand – that's more than what Count Formal took with him when the Emperor rallied the troops."

"We can't hold the city against seven thousand trained soldiers."

"We should flee to Crety!"

"They've cut off the Eastern Road."

"We should head to Rondel."

Ranma stood up, drawing everyone's attention. The solution was simple. Grabbing the mage's collar he pulled the man to his feet, "Where is the base camp?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Pina demanded.

"I'm going to resolve this."

"You're going to sneak into the enemy camp and assassinate their leaders?" someone nearby asked.

He opened his mouth to protest, but actually, that wasn't a bad idea, it just wasn't something that he'd do. "No, if the only thing they respect is power, than I'm going to show them power." He glanced at Arpeggio.

"You're not taking me with you, are you?" she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

He shook his head, "I, I can't, it's too dangerous."

"I shall go with you," Marcus volunteered. "I shall chronicle this one adventure in her place."

It was a good plan, though rarely did any of his plans actually work out the way he had planned them. Then again, this plan was simple, it was fool proof.

Taking the two magi with him, Ranma easily found the camp. Few thought anything of their approach as more and more survivors of the Battle at Alnus Hill gathered at the camp each day. There were signs that the bandits had hit other villages as some of the clusters of soldiers were passing captive women amongst themselves. The further into the camp he got the larger the groups and the more weapons and armor the men brandished.

Several big men eyed the trio as they fearlessly approached the largest camps, many trying to discern who they were and which faction they belonged to. Finally, "Who are you?"

"I am Ranma Saotome," he declared as he stared at the taller men that barred his way.

"State your business."

"I'm here to claim control of this rag tag bunch," he added.

The men scoffed, then were promptly sent flying with a pair of powerful kicks.

"I am Ranma Saotome!" he shouted as he climbed atop a barrel. "I am part of the army on Alnus Hill that destroyed your forces. I come here for your immediate surrender. Failure to do so will result in loss of life and limb!"

Throwing off his cloak, he revealed to them the army uniform that he had meticulously taken care of over the past three months since he'd first arrived in the Special Region. Even Marcus and the other mage were surprised at his revelation.

"I don't know what trick you think you'll be able to pull on us boy," a powerfully built man in gold trim armor said as he pulled out a sword that was nearly as long as Ranma was tall. "We were promised a glorious battle and the spoils of war but were slaughtered on Alnus Hill. If you truly are one of them then I shall enjoy carving you up slowly."

There were some cheers thrown up to encourage the man.

"No, the glory shall belong to me!" another brute declared as he hefted his ax.

Ranma smirked, "How many of you where there?" He knew the answer already as he'd pried it out of the mage during the trek to the camp. "Over a hundred thousand, right? Facing what, thirty thousand of my countrymen? And yet you were slaughtered without even claiming the life of one of us? How do you really think you will fair against me?"

Both of the big men faltered.

"It must have been some foul sorcery," a new man added. "Whomever kills you will get the glory and become the leader of the legion."

'Shit!' Ranma thought as a hundred weapons were drawn on him.

The two big brutes were closest and thus the first to go down to lightning quick kicks. Due to the close proximity none of the archers dared let loose their arrows.

Marcus simply climbed atop a boulder to get a good view as he began to write down the action while the other mage watched in awe as Ranma tore through the most powerful factions.

Suddenly a giant form obscured the stars and moon. An earth rattling force hit the ground, knocking many of the men off their feet even as it kicked up dirt and dust into the air.

An angry bellow pierced the night.

'Oh shit!' he knew that sound. Putting his swords away, Ranma grabbed hold of some rope. He hoped that it was strong enough.

The sound of metal being rent and bodies being crushed inside their armor replaced the beast's cry, only to be drowned out the agonized cries of the dying men.

"He's a sorcerer!"

"He conjured a minotaur!"

'And now the minotaur's going to get the credit for this,' he lamented as he rushed towards the towering form.

"You want to see how powerful I am?" he shouted at no one in particular. "Watch as I defeat the minotaur!"

Racing around the creature's legs, Ranma moved to entangle its feet as it focused on other targets. Unfortunately the beast remembered his scent and scrambled to look for him. Rage filled its eyes.

"The gods take offense to you traveler from another land," one of the knights deduced. "They send us a champion to help us remove you and your army from Alnus Hill. Once we lay waste to the city we will lead the beast to Alnus Hill."

Things were definitely not going according to his plan. Still, he wouldn't let things get him down.

Without even a crude weapon the beast tried to swat him away with its bare hands. Ranma easily avoided the attack by nimbly leaping into the air just enough that he wasn't open for a counter attack and quickly landed on the beast's wrist. Running up the creature's arm he again took to the air as the other hand came up to swat him away. Spinning in the air he managed to slip the rope around the creature's throat. Pulling on the rope as he landed on the ground he sent the beast flying overhead again only to smash into a hastily abandoned tent.

Only it wasn't the minotaur that crashed into the tent but a buxom redhead. Ranma quickly patted himself down as he searched for the canteen of water that he'd smuggled to the Special Region. The small vial he'd used before was the one use water, but the canteen, well, that was the actual cursed water, and somehow it had emptied itself onto the minotaur as they had fought.

Dashing over to the tent, he was not surprised to see that the girl was an exact copy of his cursed form as the water had come from the same spring. The girl was on the ground and struggled to get to its knees then held up its, er, her bloody hand as though yielding. Before anything else could occur minotaur turned girl collapsed.

Glancing around, Ranma saw that the former soldiers of the Unified Army had scattered, though there were a few injured and many more dead.

From atop his perch, Marcus surveyed the chaos and destruction. "I see why the Goddess Elange is interested in you. When we left Italica I was prepared for anything, but I definitely was not expecting this."

* * *

A/N

Anime Milwaukee was great.

Dreamingfox


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes –

The water that Ranma threatened the bandits with was the one use water (similar to the one use Instant Water from the Spring of Drowned Man that Shampoo had used to trick Ranma and Genma into getting a date with Ranma), while the water he had in the canteen was the water from the Spring of Drowned Girl that he'd fallen into – two very different waters.

The water that he has with him was given to him by the first lieutenant Yanagida who does not have Ranma's moral compass.

Again, this Ranma is older. He might only be 18, but he's more mature at 18 then he was at 16, but only by a little.

* * *

The short fight with the minotaur turned girl had not been too long, but he'd spent the past thirty hours awake and traveling. After securing the camp, claiming some of the discarded weapons, abandoned horses, and setting up a proper defensive perimeter, he took a well deserved nap.

The trip back to Italica would have been faster had he not had to deal with the mage turned merchant Marcus' constant questions. As a follower of Elange he too was interested in acquiring knowledge though he was a broker of information. The shrewd old man was not one to let things slip casually though he hoped to wheedle information out of Ranma as they rushed back to Italica.

"I find it curious that you bring her along," Marcus finally remarked as he realized that Ranma was not willing to talk about Japan and the other side of the Gate. So long as Ranma was not interested in sharing such information, then he too would not be interested in sharing information about the Special Region. That left them with only their current circumstances to talk about.

Having found no spare clothes about the camp, he'd been forced to give the minotaur turned girl his traveling clothes. He was reluctant to talk about her, er, it. "It admitted defeat; I won't kill something that has surrendered to me."

He glanced at the cursed girl who lowered her head as he did so. There was no rage or anger in her eyes. That was why he'd allowed her to go unbound.

"Is naiveté a common trait in your world?" Marcus asked.

Ranma scowled. He was about to spout off how he had faith in people but he could not help but think of how Kuno, Mousse, and Ryoga had always been willing to betray him whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Their return to Italica went much faster thanks to the horses that he'd captured as it allowed the elderly mage to travel at a faster pace. It was clear that more of the bandits had banded together to assault Italica, but they were again repelled though from the looks of things just barely.

"We have returned from our failed attempt to reign in the bandits," Marcus stated, rubbing the salt into Ranma's pride.

Pina eyed Ranma, taking in his battered uniform.

"He is one of the men in green," the mage stated. "I would guess that he is one of their advanced scouts."

The redhead fought the urge to draw her weapon.

"It is true," Arpeggio stated. "Perhaps that is why Elange finds him intriguing."

"Who is the girl?" Pina asked finally.

Waiting for the horses to be lead away, Ranma pulled off the girl's cloak, startling the others by revealing the girl's naked form before dousing her with warm water and triggering the transformation back to its original form. The towering minotaur did not lash out, though it eyed Pina and her group. Splashing it with some cold water, he handed the cloak back to the minotaur.

"While Ranma was battling the bandits a minotaur came crashing down upon the camp," Marcus explained.

Arpeggio shook her head as she rubbed at her temples.

"You know of this minotaur?" the observant Gray asked.

"It is the minotaur that I fought when we were searching the ruins outside of Crety," Ranma stated.

"He conjured a mighty cyclone that carried the beast away," Arpeggio added. "We destroyed the garden that it was protecting, but it seems as though Ranma was fated to face the beast again. Still, it seems the creature thinks of you as its master now that you've defeated it twice and destroyed what it was tasked with guarding."

That seemed to make Pina and her knights flinch. "You may join the other men in green in defending the southern gate tonight."

Ranma seemed to perk up at that. As he headed towards the gate, he allowed Arpeggio and Marcus to discuss the encounter with the bandits and the sudden arrival of the minotaur. He was surprised by his own excitement, though he wasn't exactly sure why. A squad of twelve soldiers with a Humvee, Toyota high mobility vehicle, and a light truck guarded the battered Southern Gate – two per vehicle, with the rest along the wall. With them were two non-combatants, a young girl with light blue hair and a youngish elf with long blond locks, and there was the odd girl sporting a gothic Lolita outfit and a giant ax/halberd. Spotting the ranking officer he approached the man and saluted, "Sir, Second Lieutenant Ranma Saotome, reporting, sir."

The first lieutenant turned around, "Saotome?" It took a moment for Itami to return the salute, "At ease."

"What are you doing here?" both asked.

"Sir, you know each other?" even in her uniform it was clear that the sergeant first class was a woman as her ample assets combined with her pony tail would not be found on any of the man in the JSDF. Leave it to Itami to loosen the standards for his squad.

"Yeah," Ranma grinned, "Shikamaru here was the toughest guy for me to find back in ranger training."

"'Shikamaru'?" the young woman asked. "Wait, what? Ranger training?!"

"That was the nickname he earned for being the lazy genius of the group," Ranma smirked as he playfully punched the other second lieutenant's arm.

"What was your nick name?" the woman asked.

"'Lockhart'," Itami sneered. "Saotome was the best fighter of the batch."

"Best at almost everything," Ranma said as he puffed out his chest."

"Except sniping and team work," Itami added, deflating Ranma's ego slightly. "Anyways, this is my squad – Sergeant Major Souichiro Kuwahara; my second in command, Master Sergeant Tetsuya Nishina, Sergeant First Class Shino Kuribayashi, Sergeant First Class Akira Tomita, Sergeant First Class Mari Kurokawa, Sergeant Azuma, Private Daisuke Tozu, Private Wataru Katsumoto, Private Hitoshi Furuta, and Private Hayato Sasagawa. Takeo's in the LMV."

"Why 'Lockhart'?" Shino asked.

"From Final Fantasy 7 – the buxom bartender," Itami smirked.

"Saotome," the grizzled old man of the squad said as he stepped forward, "as in Ranma Saotome – the Legion Slayer?"

Ranma blinked. He'd heard that nickname in the days after the Ginza incident, but he did not relish it. "Yeah."

"I thought that was just a joke," Shino remarked as she looked at Ranma again. "Just the ammo alone needed for five thousand kills – you'd have to have had at least an HMG."

"Actually, he did it all without any formal weapon," Itami sighed. "Shino here is our resident hand-to-hand expert, but Saotome, well, he'd put you to shame. I was with him when the Ginza Incident started. While I rushed to evacuate the civilians and organize the defense at the Imperial Palace, Saotome rushed towards the Gate alone and slowed the progress of the invaders. The civilians that he sheltered credited him with over five thousand kills and another six thousand captures – without the use of a firearm."

"Two full days of fighting," the Sergeant Major stated, "and not a single scratch on him after engaging the enemy in close combat – without any body armor. Had he not chosen to fortify a store that allowed civilians to escape the chaos he might have even gotten to the Gate.

"Sir, it is an honor to meet you."

Ranma took his hand. "Your words are too kind. There were still too many casualties and I couldn't stop the invaders who managed to capture civilians from passing through the Gate."

"You killed over five thousand men?" the girl with the halberd remarked. "In a single day? Are you an Apostle?"

Ranma turned to look at the girl. She had an aura that suggested death and battle, but not the kind that an experienced veteran gave off. No, she was something different.

"There are no Apostles in their world," Arpeggio stated, "though I have not heard much about the world on the other side of the Gate."

"Who is she?" Itami finally asked.

"She's my Chronicler, Sir," he replied.

Itami gave him an odd look. "'Chronicler'?"

"I am tasked by the Goddess Elange with accompanying Ranma while he attempts to accomplish a feat in exchange for answering any question that he presents to her," the scholar stated.

"Arpeggio?" the blue haired girl asked, tensing as she did so.

"It must be the work of the Gods," Arpeggio said as she glanced at the blue haired girl. There was just something chilly in her tone that made Ranma want to back away. "Why else would Elange choose me to be Ranma's Chronicler if she had not intended for me to meet my little sister."

"She's your sister?" one of the privates asked.

"Step-sister," the blue haired girl replied.

Ranma glanced at Itami, then at the girls in his company.

"This is Second Lieutenant Ranma Saotome, we train together occasionally," the ranking officer stated. "This is Rory Mercury – Apostle to the God Emroy, Tuka Luna Marceau, and Lelei La Lalena. They're part of the group of refugees that are living near the base at Alnus Hill."

"This is Arpeggio El Lalena – my chronicler, and" he eyed the redhead behind him "do you have a name?"

Everyone turned to the redhead who shook her head.

"I guess I'll call you Ford," he said. He'd debated just going with 'Taurus' but that was too straightforward and didn't seem as androgynous as Ford. "Does that suit you?"

The girl nodded.

"Where'd you pick her up?" one of the other sergeants asked.

The girl huffed.

"I'm not really sure you should be referring to him as a girl," Ranma stated. "He may look like a girl now, but his" he glanced at Arpeggio who nodded "true form is that of a thirty foot tall minotaur."

At that Rory let out a mighty laugh.

"Hot water please," the squad commander turned to his second in command.

In a flash the man dashed to the light truck then rushed back with two steaming cups of water. Itami took one cup and handed it to Ranma as Ford pulled off the cloak and traveling robe. The hot water did the trick, transforming the minotaur back into its true form. Even the Apostle was surprised by the transformation. Taking water from his canteen, Itami splashed the beast, triggering the curse yet again.

"That's why he was called 'Lockhart'," Itami said as he realized that he'd splashed Ranma as well. Now two redheads stood side by side; one slightly older than the other, though a case could be made that they were identical.

"Yeah, thanks for that," Ranma muttered as he took the second cup from the sergeant major and up-ended it over his head.

"What kind of magic is that?" Rory asked as she stood behind Itami.

"Old magic from our world," Ranma stated. "A valley full of cursed springs where those who fall into a spring take on the form of whatever it was that drowned in the spring. Just being splashed with the water from that spring is enough to curse you. The valley no longer exists because I destroyed it."

"That's what you did to the minotaur," Arpeggio said as she looked from master to servant.

"Not intentionally," Ranma muttered. "I had some of the water from that spring with me."

"We can catch up while set up our defenses," Itami suggested. It was odd hearing him actually bark out orders, but his laid back squad snapped to attention.

As the highest ranking officers, Itami and Saotome along with the Sergeant Major, and the civilians, stationed themselves along the wall over the South Gate.

"How long have you had those girls with you?" Ranma whispered in Japanese.

Itami shrugged, "We came upon their village after witnessing the fire dragon destroying Tuka's village, so three days on the road so far."

"Did you spend any nights with them in the same room?" Ranma added.

Youji shook his head. "Why?"

"There's a marriage ritual or custom," the cursed lieutenant stated. "If you spend three nights with a woman in the same room, you're considered married. Peggy says that that's why men here will make sure that the prostitutes they sleep with don't spend an entire night with them."

"You seem to know a bit about this world," the gruff second in command stated.

"How long have you been here?" the first lieutenant asked.

"Three months by my count," Ranma replied.

"Off book?" Youji added.

Ranma nodded.

Despite his propensity to slack off, Youji Itami had a keen mind, thus his similarity to the fictional ninja. With just a few things said in their exchange he had already deduced Ranma's mission and perhaps even who had sent him.

"What is your opinion of our defenses?" the first lieutenant asked.

"The South Gate has taken the brunt of the abuse the last few days and appears to be the most likely to be breached," he replied. "The bandits will know this and expect that strongest opposition here." He glanced around at the meager defense force. "We've been set up on either a suicide mission or as a test of our strength.

"I counted seven thousand when I breached the enemy camp. If they choose to attack as a whole we'd be overrun, but thus far they've only attacked in battalions and not worked together. It seems that each of the neighboring kingdoms sent a corps and now there are only a few divisions left from each of them."

Itami nodded. "The first two times that they attacked they had a field army over a hundred thousand strong and just a division during the night attack. It's most likely that these are the reserves that survived."

"Hey, I am the Legion-slayer," Ranma shrugged. "I'm sure that they won't be as much of a problem this time around since I don't have to face an entire field army by myself."

The otaku turned lieutenant grinned. He'd clearly surmised as much as well. Were it just his squad they would have been overwhelmed, but with Ranma, the Apostle, and the minotaur things were definitely in their favor. "What do we do to draw their attention?"

Ranma grinned, "Leave that to me."

* * *

"We must have killed off all their men," the rugged bandit stated as he eyed the buxom beauties that manned the South Gate. "There's no one at the Gate but a handful of women."

"Even from here I can tell that either one of those redheads is more than you can handle alone," joked the man next to him.

"Whomever captures either one gets first crack at her," the unit commander stated. "I'm second."

"But"

"The South Gate is unmanned," the commander added. "Even if they have some trap set up our mage should be able to detect whatever spell they've prepared. Order a full charge!"

* * *

"I can't believe this is working," Shino muttered as she spied the advancing army. "One regiment afoot, one mounted – I count three thousand in all."

"Three thousand - so maybe another two thousand in reserve?" the first lieutenant's voice came in clearly over the radio.

"I counted nearly eight thousand when I saw their camp," the second lieutenant stated. "They might have split their forces."

Ranma could tell that he was making Shino uncomfortable. He wasn't sure if it was because of his curse or because of his reputation but he knew she wanted to see if he was really all that and a bag of chips. "This isn't a competition Major," he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "People are going to die, and I'd prefer that none of us do the dying."

He knew that they were being watched. The youngest of the Rose Knights, Hamilton, and a small contingent of fifty were armed with bows and slings, their orders were to remain behind the bulwark at all costs and to retreat if the bulwark was breached.

"Did you really kill five thousand men?" Shino asked.

"Yeah," Ranma replied. "And that was just the men. When you figure in the kobolds, gobins, orcs, and dragons, not to mention the horses, my kill total was eight thousand, nine hundred and fifty seven." His hand shook as he remembered the Ginza Incident. "Those were the ones I dealt a killing blow with, there were probably more that died from injuries I gave them."

"You could be the god of war or battle," Rory sighed. "To become an Apostle of Emroy I had to kill a thousand deserving men – bandits, marauders, rapists – it took me two years. I would take on maybe a dozen at a time, maybe a score, but towards the end I was able to handle two score."

"I do not enjoy killing," Ranma stated.

"That's why you managed all those captures," Arpeggio finished.

He nodded. "Many of those if fought were doing what they were commanded to. They had orders, just as we do, but who decides what is right or wrong? I try not to kill if I can, but it is usually a last resort."

"Yet you wield blades for this encounter," Rory said with a grin. The anticipation of battle was getting to her.

"Because I've seen these men – they want battle and death," the martial artist turned soldier stated. "They could have chosen to return home or to settle down somewhere and live a peaceful life, but instead they chose to lay waste to the surrounding villages and cities rather than facing the enemy that they had been brought here to fight. Well, they've found their enemy, and I'm not going to let lay waste to Italica."

"Stick to the plan," the first lieutenant said as the first volley of arrows soared over head.

"The armory is going to kill us," Shino muttered as she noted that the arrows that had reached the vehicles were scratching up the paint job.

Beneath them the first of the invaders had passed through the gate. Cautiously they remained behind their shields while advancing, eying the defenders.

"Well there are some boys and old men among them," one of the brutes snorted. "Kill them first and then we can ravage the women!"

The invaders let out a rousing cheer.

"NOW! Open fire!"

The invaders instinctively hid behind their shields. The bronze and crude iron could repel stone and arrows, but not the lead that came from the machine gun was mounted on the smallest of the vehicles. Nearly a five hundred men were cut down in the blink of an eye.

Before the commander could even question what was going on one of the privates had him in his sights. The guns' discharge frightened the horsemen but before they could flee the towering minotaur appeared behind them. The warhorses panicked, unseating their riders before running into the fields.

Itami lead a fire team on the wall, picking off the startled soldiers on the crude ladders.

Ranma leapt off the wall and into the fray. He targeted the biggest and imposing figures, cutting them down with the twin swords. The more experienced soldiers kept to their formations but they had no way to counter Ranma. He danced around them like a leaf on the wind, slipping past their defenses with ease before cutting the soldiers down by the dozens.

From the corner of his eye he noticed Rory and Shino working in tandem while Itami and his fire team picked off any enemies that between the lethal pair.

The men before him scattered, throwing down their weapons before running off. Ranma reached to his back and pulled out a riot control weapon. Firing the net at the retreating soldiers he ensured that they would not get. In a matter of moments it was over as the remaining bandits surrendered.

Yet the fight had not ended, not for Rory.

"I will show you the mercy that you would have shown the citizens of Italica!" the demi-goddess stated as she brought her mighty weapon down, cleaving clean through an armored man.

"What are you doing?" Ranma shouted as he watched her cut a pair of fleeing men in two.

"What does it look like? I'm passing judgement!" a sadistic glint in her eyes matched her crazed grin. She leapt towards another group of entangled men only to have her powerful weapon stopped by Ranma's twin blades. He countered with a swift kick to her stomach, sending her flying into the city wall.

"Stop!" Itami shouted as he shot the ground between the two warriors. "Save your fighting for the East Gate. Saotome, secure your prisoners, I'll take a fire team to provide support to the East Gate."

* * *

The arrival of the 4th Division ended the siege of Italica, claiming thousands of lives and impressing upon the citizens of the city and the knights present just how futile any resistance would be had the JDSF actually come to the Special Region with more than a handful of divisions. Arpeggio though could only think of the man that she had been tasked with chronicling. By all accounts it was a resounding victory for the soldiers from beyond the Gate. They could extort a high ransom for their role in the overwhelming victory and they had not suffered a single loss. Yet Ranma Saotome was not happy.

"Was the victory not glorious?" Arpeggio asked him as she watched what Ranma had said were the soldiers from the 4th Division process the prisoners. From her position atop the East Gate the destruction that the attach helicopters had unleashed upon the legion of marauders was evident. Bullet holes riddled the wall while blood soaked the ground turning it into a deep, slimy red. Perhaps he was dissatisfied with the fact that a different Division had secured the victory as he was said to be part of the 5th Division. Sometimes there were rivalries between the different companies and divisions in an army.

"In my world, war has not been glorious in generations," he remarked.

Over eight thousand had attacked Italica, and only two thousand had been captured. Half of those who had assaulted the East Gate had fled after the 4th Division's initial attack, but even those had been hunted down with extreme prejudice. A good majority of those captured had been the ones who had assaulted the South Gate whom Ranma had convinced to surrender.

"They credit you with the victory at the South Gate," she stated.

Again he shrugged, "That's nice, but what of all the lives lost? Does that not bother you?"

She nodded. He had a point. Many had died, but that was their choice as soldiers to either follow orders until death or to cast aside their warrior's pride. She'd never seen a warrior like him, then again, she had never actually made time to get to know any of the warriors in Rondel. She'd always imagined that they were fascinated in fighting and only occasionally thought about tactics beyond when to charge, switch formation, and when to retreat. Yet here was the mightiest warrior she'd ever seen much less heard of, showing consideration for his defeated enemies. He was like nothing she'd ever read about.

Before she could say anything she felt strong hands giving her a gentle yet firm shove. Startled she could not help but fall into Ranma, her ample bosom pressing against his breasts even as her soft lips tasted his.

To say that the pair had been startled would be an understatement.

"It wasn't my fault!" Ranma protested as he pulled away from Arpeggio, his face as red as his female form's hair.

'What a strange reaction,' she thought even as she realized that her own face was perhaps a shade or two from matching his.

"Dammit Ford!"

The minotaur turned girl let out a rough, bellowing laugh.

When he had initially taken the off the book assignment, Ranma had expected to be able to get away with not leaving a paper trail because the mission was off book, but the reality was far worse than he'd imagined. Because he needed a paper trail 1st Lieutenant Yanagida had to list incorporate the information that Ranma had gathered an incorporate it into the reports that the other recon teams had already filed, listing the maps and other information under the other teams so as not to draw too much information. What could not be passed off to the other teams was pushed onto Ranma who had been listed as the seventh recon team sent deep into enemy territory to investigate the political structure of the Special Region.

Once the paperwork passed the 1st Lieutenant's inspection, Ranma had to commit his new story to memory before being personally debriefed by Lt. General Hazama, though the 1st Lieutenant's presence helped. Still, the debriefing had lasted over half an hour, a considerable amount of time considering that it was the Lt. General.

The middle aged man was surprisingly sharp though it was to be expected of a man who had actually been accepted into Todai before enlisting. While many soldiers like to compare themselves with their peers and keep track of how they were better than their peers in various areas, the Lt. General did not seem to do that with Ranma. Then again, many of the soldiers had better grades in school or had attended university and thus, on paper, were considered smarter than Ranma, but none of them could compare to him physically. Yet for physical prowess he was not just a meat shield. His kill total for the Ginza Incident had been higher than entire Divisions, and that had been without the use of any firearms.

He was an asset and the Lt. General knew that. The problem was balancing the use of said asset, how and when to use the asset, and how much they were going actually going to depend on him.

"You've earned some R&R," the Lt. General finally stated. "It will take a day or two for us to check out what you've brought for us, but it is likely that we'll need your assistance in starting up the language classes for the refugees and the military. Dismissed."

Ranma saluted the pair before departing the room. It was clear that the Lt. General wanted him to complete his search for answers and information but neither of them could think of a way to impress the Goddess Elange. By allowing him access to the refugees he might be able to pick up some type of useful information that might point him in the right direction.

With no official unit or squad designation, Ranma's assigned room was little more than single wall with a hammock and curtains. That it was near to the gate closest to the refugee camp was a bonus as it allowed him easily access Arpeggio and Ford. Leaving the intelligent minotaur with his chronicler had been a questionable decision, but he was sure that they'd be able to put up with each other.

The other benefit of not belonging to a unit or squad was that he did not have to engage in the usual regimental or squad training, though he was called upon to help the 5th Division squads by advising them on the tactics used by the Empire's soldiers and by helping draw up scenarios for the teams to practice and prepare for. For his own training Ranma continued his usual martial arts but also began working out with Ford in both forms. The sight of the minotaur had initially caused a disturbance with the guards along the wall, but after a week Ford was now a common sight.

The minotaur had drawn many odd looks at first. It did not help that there was such a size disparity between his two forms as the issue of clothing reared its head each time it transformed. Because of the fact that someone might accidentally spill hot water on him the refugee village opted to keep larger roadways and the newly built tavern opted to have a large section of outdoor seating.

"Eat," Ford said as he pointed to his mouth. While he was still learning the basics of both Japanese and the derivative of Gregorian Greek that the inhabitants of the Special Region used, the minotaur was surprisingly intelligent and could understand both the written and spoken language used in the Special Region but was only just learning to understand Japanese. Learning to speak in his cursed form was harder as his original body did not have the same vocal cords as humans or other demi-humans.

While Ford had lived in the Arun ruins for much of its life it had not always been so. He had been sold into slavery centuries ago to the Arun noblewoman who had sought immortality. Minotaurs could live to see five centuries but had nearly been hunted into extinction centuries ago though there were tales that minotaurs still thrived on other continents.

Arpeggio's vast knowledge had been useful in helping to set up the language classes for the refugees and the JSDF, but her real interest was in the minerals and materials that the members of the JSDF had brought with them to the Special Region. When not tailing Ranma she was often found working with the few scientists to break down the dragon scales, wyvern scales, testing the metals salvaged from the two battles for Alnus Hill, and helping to examine the arm of the flame dragon that Recon Team 3 had managed to sever but was recovered by members of the 4th Division.

With little to do since he had no squad, Ranma spent much of his time in the growing village. Initially the engineering crew had been able to keep up with the demands but with soldiers still needing their own barracks and housing the engineers were only able to assist the village sparingly. Off duty volunteers were in short supply, and people who could clear sections of forest easily were even in shorter supply. Fortunately Ranma met both of those conditions.

"You can volunteer to die for your country but you can't get a drink," Takeo joked as he accepted another mug of beer.

Ranma shrugged. "It's not as though I want to drink anyways."

"Liar," Ford belched.

"You know, for someone who can only speak a few words, you're pretty talkative," Ranma groused as he drank the non-alcoholic cider he'd ordered.

The minotaur smirked.

"You might have better luck if you were in your cursed form," the young sergeant teased.

"I can't believe you two were in basic together," the usually energetic Shino muttered. "How'd you get into Ranger training so quickly?"

"I'm just that good," Ranma teased. "You gotta understand I've been training as a martial artist since I was able to walk. I went through worse at 7 then even Rangers had in their training."

He liked the members of the 3rd Recon Team. It helped that he knew Takeo from basic and that Youji had been the E&E specialist that had trained with him during his time training for the Special Forces and Rangers. That was what separated the 3rd Recon Team from most of the other enlisted otaku. Due to the magical and mystical nature of the enemy forces the higher ups had wanted those with some knowledge in magic and mystical. Unfortunately most of those with such knowledge had been otakus who could glean some information from their hobbies. A good third of the expeditionary force were otakus or at least fans of fantasy manga/anime/light novels and the rest had been forced to find alternative reading to bring them up to speed before they had been deployed into the Gate.

Ranma had to keep reminding himself that while he had been in the Special Region for over three months the rest of the JSDF had only been here a few weeks. As such, he had to avoid talking about the first two months which was actually easy as he had not done anything of note. He could pass of his speedy arrival in Rondel as him having been dropped off by one of the helicopters after the second battle and the rest was him simply traveling as fast as he could travel with a companion. Most of the men who out-ranked him but who know of him knew that Ranma's abilities were beyond the scope of normal comprehension and comparison and were likely to overlook certain details.

Even Ford in his cursed form was far from normal. Though he had the same frame and build as Shino he was far stronger and tougher than he appeared. He was nearly as strong as Ranma's cursed form, but then again, Ranma had always been ahead of the curve.

The small refugee village was flourishing under the protection of the JSDF. No bandits dared to come close to the otherworldly warriors and their strange weapons and magics. Together with the trade agreement that they had with Italica and the fact that they did not have to pay taxes to the local lord, and it was apparent that the village would prosper.

"At least you get a discount," Takeo added. "You know, for helping build this place."

"I am no paying for your drinks. Do you know how much Ford can put away? I'm just lucky he's not in his other form. Besides, your fearless leader is right over there."

"Yeah, right," Shino grumbled. "The moment Delilah has the bill in hand he's off and running."

The foursome laughed.

"Did someone call for me?" the head waitress asked as she appeared beside their table. "More drinks or are you ready to order?"

For once Ford shook his head, "DucK?" he turned to Ranma. The minotaur was a meat eater and used to eating other humanoids, but he detested beef and had a preference for fowl. Humanoids were definitely off the menu. The only other readily available meats were horse and pig. Ranma shrugged but nodded. "Duck – two."

The buxom bunny-woman frowned, "Sorry Ford, we're out of duck for the night. They're cleaning a bear that one of the hunters brought back."

"Bear," the cursed minotaur nodded as he licked his lips.

Sighing, Ranma nodded again, "Guess this is on me then – we'll take the whole thing."

"Bear it is then," the bunny-woman grinned as she rushed to service another table.

"I don't think I've ever had bear," Shino stated. "We should call the rest of the squad."

Takeo glanced at Ranma, "Doesn't your old man turn into a panda?"

"Yeah," he replied. "One of my rivals turned into a duck and another into a piglet."

"Seriously?" Shino asked in disbelief.

While they waited for their meal they exchanged stories of their lives from before they had enlisted.

"Are you the foursome that ordered the bear?" a gruff voice asked in the accented Greek tongue that some of the residents of the Special Region used. The owner of the voice was a grizzled man in his later years. He had clearly seen better days but seemed to be doing okay considering the injuries that he lived with. Beside him was Sergeant First Class Mari Kurokawa, the 3rd Recon Team's combat medic who also assisted at the clinic on her down time.

"We were just talking about calling some of the squad," Shino stated. "We thought the bear might be too much for just the four of us."

"Then you wouldn't mind sharing?" the man asked.

Ranma shrugged, "There's more than enough. Are you sure you can handle the grease sir?"

"It's too warm here for the bears to hibernate," Takeo stated. "I doubt that they'd have too much fat on them."

"I've had tougher," the man grinned. "I wouldn't recommend the local wolves. Haha!"

"Delilah, two more ciders," Ranma said as he held up his hand. "And some more beers for those three."

"This is Duran, he was a hunter in the region," Kurokawa said as she introduced her patient to the others. "This is Shino Kuribayashi, and Takeo Kurata, they're part of my squad. This is Ranma Saotome and his companion Ford."

"You're a civilian?" the patient asked Ford.

"He's a minotaur," Ranma stated. This was not the first time he'd had to explain things, though it was not likely to be the last. "Delilah, some water please."

"She's pretty cute for a minotaur," the man scoffed.

"I'd say something if I wasn't afraid of getting squashed," Takeo muttered.

"That's alright," Duran said as he held up his prosthetic arm. "I've heard plenty about the mighty minotaur and his master that helped end the siege of Italica. I must say, I had not expected to meet such legendary warriors."

Ranma shrugged. "I'm around a lot."

"So it seems," the man ceded as he settled comfortably into his seat with aid from the combat medic. "The refugees here seem to think highly of you in particular, especially the ones from Italica."

Again Ranma shrugged. Many of the former marauders that had attacked Italica had opted to come to the refugee village after helping to repair Italica as they and the citizens that they had attacked felt uncomfortable having them around. Most of the prisoners that had been captured were alive because of Ranma.

"They say that you fought the Apostle Rory and showed them mercy," Duran added. "And they say that you seek the favor of Elange."

Shino nodded, "Yeah, that's all true."

"Hey old man," Takeo said as he tried to insert himself into the conversation, "what's the best tasting game in the area?"

The old hunter rubbed his patchy beard, "Griffin – the meat from the front legs is tender and juicy while the hind-quarters is best in a stew with onions and greens."

As they waited they began exchanging tales – Duran of his hunts and Ranma of his days hunting and foraging while training with his old man. It only worked up their appetites as they waited for the bear to be brought out to them.

"Ranma, there you are," an exasperated voice huffed irritably. "I should have known that this was where you are."

"This must be your buxom chronicler," the old man teased. "You are indeed a fortunate young man."

"I don't know, I think our XO has Ranma beat," Takeo shook his head.

Shino shook her head, "That's a sticky situation that's going to explode in his face."

Kurokawa shrugged as she sipped at her cider.

"Hey Arpeggio," the 2nd lieutenant greeted the woman. Beside the scholar was a buxom dark skinned woman with long silvery hair. She appeared to be a darker and older version of Tuka, the elf that was usually trailing after Youji. That they were in the company of 1st Lieutenant Yanagida seemed to sour Ranma's mood. More than likely the Lt. General and his adjunct had finally decided on what to do with their asset. Ranma and the members of the 3rd Recon Team quickly stood up and saluted the 1st Lieutenant.

"At ease," Yanagida said as he returned their gesture, "we're all off duty."

The last had been needlessly added in an attempt to ease the mood back to what it had been before his arrival. But it was Delilah's arrival with a tray of hot food that did the trick. "Three more beers?"

"Yes please," Yanagida replied. He did not need to ask for more seats as the corner table always had room to spare when Ford was not in his true form.

"That's the elf that had a run in with Rory and Itami," Delilah whispered to Ranma as she set the tray down before Ranma and Ford.

The 2nd lieutenant made the connection. She was the dark elf that had come seeking the JSDF's help in driving off the flame dragon that had apparently settled into the valley that her people called home. Elves were less likely to simply uproot and settle in somewhere else and tended to stay in their forests, or so the JSDF had been lead to believe by the human refugees.

"You are Ranma Saotome, the Legion Slayer and minotaur tamer?" the dark elf asked.

Ranma nodded even as Ford huffed.

"I apologize," the woman said as she lowered herself to a knee and bowed. "I am Yao Haa Dushi. I have come seeking the assistance of the Men in Green who had previously repelled and injured the ancient flame dragon."

Ranma fought the urge to sigh.

"Ranma," Arpeggio interjected, "I believe that if you defeat the flame dragon you would finally accomplish the feat."

* * *

A/N

I'll leave things here for now.

Dreamingfox


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes –

Yes, I defiantly stick to the idea that continuity in Ranma ½ is not always consistent. Thus I choose to stick to the idea that the specific pool that Ranma fell into turns those who fall into it into a red-headed teenage girl. Just like those who fall into the pool of drowned Akane turn into an exact physical copy of Akane. As for the instant waters and the temporary spring that turned all the foxes into men but then dried up afterwards I am of the belief that those are imitations of the original, and thus their effects are not the same as the original cursed pools of Jusenkyo. Yes, that is what I choose to believe. ;-p

Thanks again for all the reviews and criticism.

* * *

There was a time and place for politics. As far as Ranma Saotome went it was fine as long as it didn't involve him or hinder him. Red tape was nearly as bad as Red Threads as it prevented him from acting in any official capacity while the later had been one of the multitude of items used to try and get him to marry one of his handful of fiancées.

Lt. General Hazama understood politics better than most; that was one of the reasons why he was overseeing all the operations in the Special Region. The 2nd lieutenant knew that the dark elf Yao had petitioned the Lt. General, then 1st lieutenant Itami as it had been his team that had repelled the flame dragon when it had encountered the refugees from Koda Village. "Request for time off approved," the grizzled commander stated as he eyed Ranma. "You've accrued two weeks of time off soldier, are you sure this is what you want to do with it?"

"It's not a matter of want sir, it's a matter of what needs to be done," the cursed soldier stated. He locked eyes with the Lt. General. He wanted to say how if this was Japan they'd send troops to an area that was about to be struck by a natural disaster but he knew that this was not Japan. It did not help that the area where the dark elves lived was in another nation which meant that he'd be crossing their boarder.

"Use your time well," 1st lieutenant Yanagida said as Ranma offered both men a salute.

Ford, Arpeggio, and Yao were waiting at the southern gate for him. All three were uncomfortable riding horses, but they knew that if they wanted to travel at a pace close to what Ranma was capable of then they would need to stay mounted much of the time.

The warhorses had been skittish at first, but under the care of the refugee children they had become accustomed to the soldiers. These particular horses were different from the rest as they were accustomed to Ford's true form.

He made sure that they brought along just enough supplies for a one way trip as he did not want to burden the horses too much while they pushed the pace to reach the valley where the dark elves lived and where the flame dragon now resided. Time was of the essence.

* * *

In his rush to leave he failed to realize the moral of the other soldiers. After the initial attacks by the Empire and then the Unified Alliance there had only been the quick and brutal battle for Italica, leaving the soldiers restless. While many had volunteered because of their interest in the fantastical, there were those who wanted some sort of action. The 5th Division had yet to be mobilized other than to do quick recon and advanced aerial scouting. Though Japan had not engaged in any wars since the last Great War generations ago, and the only actual deployment of troops was at the request of their American allies while in Iraq, the current crop of soldiers were hoping for some significant action. Prior to the Ginza incident the JDSF had an estimated 150,000 troops combined, but their ranks had swelled in the subsequent months as many enlisted for various reasons. The JDSF had ballooned to nearly 200,000 in just months. More than 75,000 had enlisted but only 2/3rds had actually completed boot camp.

Of the nearly 50,000 that had enlisted after the Ginza Incident, only a third of them were currently stationed in the Special Region. The green soldiers had not been part of the initial battles for Alnus Hill and only the handful of those in the 4th Division had seen action. The hot-blooded young men and women were looking for any reason to get out of the fort and see the Special Region with their own eyes.

Members of the six recon teams had become something akin to idols in the fort as they had actually gotten to travel the land and interact with the inhabitants. Of them all, the members of the 3rd Recon Team were the most well known as they had not only encountered and repelled a dragon, but they had also been involved in the Siege of Italica. Because of their previous association with the refugees and those who came from Italica, they were often given considerable discounts in the village when someone else wasn't picking up their tab.

"How the hell did Saotome get his time off request approved?"

"I can't believe he's going alone."

"That's just suicide."

"I heard that he's already fought a dragon before he'd joined the JDSF."

"I heard that he leveled a mountain fighting with a dragon."

"Didn't he destroy a valley in China too?"

"Are you sure that young man isn't an Apostle?"

"I saw him deflect Rory's halberd with just a pair of swords."

"Is it true that he killed over five thousand men during the Ginza Incident?"

"No way – that's impossible!"

"He fired that many rounds and his gun didn't jam?!"

"He did it without firing a single shot!"

"That's impossible!"

"I was among the bandits that attacked Italica," a young man stated, averting his eyes in shame. "I saw him cut down over two thousand men with his swords, though he spared those of us who threw down our weapons. Her Holiness Rory sought to cut us down, but he stopped her, that is the truth."

"I was in Italica as well," another man stated, "as one of the defenders that had been assigned to back up the Itami's squad. "I had thought that we stood a chance against the bandits with Her Holiness on our side, but it was Ranma and Ford who turned the tide at the South Gate."

That this land known only as Japan could produce a warrior such as Ranma was unbelievable. Having witnessed the power at the disposal of the Men in Green, Duran knew what they were capable of, but to have a single warrior seemingly eclipse even that was truly astounding.

"Mr. Duran, where are you going?" the combat medic asked him.

He had failed to realize that his own body, mutilated as it was, had acted of its own accord as he pondered the situation. The grizzled king turned wounded old man had hoped to learn more about the forces that had annihilated the Unified Alliance forces but what he'd discovered was that despite their awesome power, their true strength came from their desire to protect others. It was a philosophy at odds with what the Empire pushed though one that the king in hiding could relate to.

It had been less than a day since Ranma and his companions had been approached by the dark elf and the young soldier had already departed. Duran had been at the table with them when she had come to beseech the young warrior on behalf of her village. He'd seen Ranma try to talk his companions out of accompanying him but they, like him, were stubborn. They had not hesitated to accompany him.

"Mr. Duran, where are you going?" It was not the combat medic/nurse but the cat-girl waitress.

"Put it on my tab," he muttered.

"You don't have a tab," she replied as she took hold of his real arm.

"Then start one for me," he countered. Turning to the nurse he sighed. "I need to speak with the highest ranking official you have. Tell them that King Duran of the Kingdom of Elbe would like to speak with him."

* * *

Alien stars sparkled in the sky, illuminating the map for the exhausted travelers. Between his three companions none of them had ever ridden a horse. Ford's true form was far too large for even a tank to take while Arpeggio was used to riding in a cart or wagon and Yao had never bothered trying to break a horse or mount.

He could not help but be thankful for Arpeggio as the scholar had plotted out Yao's travels after she'd left the valley and given them a rough area where the dark elves were hiding. In seeking aid, Yao had stopped at several villages until finally hearing about the Men in Green who had repelled the flame dragon. After that she had meandered towards Alnus Hill, stopping in Crety and Italica before finally reaching the still unnamed refugee village. With a better idea of where the dragon might be, he could cut down on their travel time by taking the most direct route possible.

Skirting the burnt out forest and the mountains, they were able to make good time before finally calling a halt to their riding for the day. Arpeggio was obviously tired and had settled into the lone tent that Ranma had thought to bring along.

"The two of you could pass for sisters," Yao stated.

Ranma nodded, "We get that a lot."

"Is it because you are his master?"

The cursed soldier's lips curled in amusement, "It's because he was hit with water from the same cursed spring that afflicts me. I've had my curse for three years now, so of course my cursed form has aged."

He'd switched to his female form because it was lighter and thus less stressful on the horses but damn, his breasts were hurting from all the jostling while mounted. He'd definitely need to rethink things in the morning. The second reason for doing so was to keep Yao from throwing herself at him.

Aside from offering up a diamond larger than his head as payment, she had made it known that she was also considered part of the payment. While he admired her dedication to her clan, Ranma couldn't help but think that it was still wrong.

"How much is one life worth?" Yao asked as she sat down and leaned back against a boulder. "I would willingly trade mine for the life of the rest of my people."

"The diamond will be sufficient payment," Ranma replied as he averted his eyes.

Ford snorted. "Ranma like boy."

"Is that why you stay in a woman's body?" Yao teased.

Picking up a stone Ranma tossed it at the minotaur.

The other redhead shook his head playfully, "Ranma virgin."

The virgin in question turned a shade of red. "How would you know?"

"I smell," Ford stated.

"Minotaurs can sense if a maiden is a virgin or not," Yao stated. "In some lands their services are paid for through a ritual offering of a virgin a month. If their offering is not a minotaur it is often meant that the lord they serve is unable to pay for their services."

"But Ford was sold into slavery," Ranma rebutted.

"Is different when I born," Ford stated. "I never meet other minotaur."

"You think in short terms," the dark elf insisted. "Ford is over five hundred years old; I have been alive for over three; to us your laws can be as leaves on the wind. My people do not care about the wars that humans fight unless it is against us. In my own lifetime I have seen several generations of man born and die and with each generation it seems new laws are supposedly enacted and old ones stricken."

"She is right," Arpeggio interjected as she emerged from the tiny tent. "The shorter-lived races tend to think in the here and now when compared to the longer-lived races. The flame dragon that we are facing has lived for longer than all of us combined but they are usually only active for a few months every century, giving their prey enough time to repopulate. I am not sure why, but the hibernation period was far shorter than usual as should not have woken for another fifty years.

"It is the reason why this mountain range is still part of the Elbe fiefdom as both the current and previous Emperor felt that the mountain range was not worth fighting for as the northern edge of the range is considered the flame dragon's territory. For the dwarves that live deep in the mountains the flame dragon is not as much of a threat as it only hinders their trade routes while active, but since it was injured it seems to have relocated to the southern end of the mountain range."

Yao nodded, "This is the first time we have seen it."

"You said that ancient dragons like this one are only active for a short time every century or so, but what would they do in that time?" Ranma asked. He felt that he knew the answer, but he needed to see if it was correct.

"They spend the majority of that time either reclaiming their territory, hunting, and finding a mate to breed with."

Yeah, it was the answer he expected but didn't want.

"Dragons only lay a clutch of five or six, though only one or two will reach maturity and only one out of a hundred will survive to become ancient dragons like this one," the scholar stated.

"Because they're so big, right?" Ranma asked.

Arpeggio nodded, "Due to their size they require more and more food, but they are also cannibalistic, though they tend to not eat their young, they will eat unrelated young, mature dragons, and wyverns."

Little happened during the first two days of their journey though Ranma was impressed with how well everyone seemed to be handling the pace that he'd set. The credit, of course, went to the horses as they were capable of enduring the hard pace that Ranma had set for the riders. He knew that alone he could have traveled faster but having the horses meant that he and the others would not be as exhausted when they faced the dragon.

From Arpeggio he had learned that dragons and wyverns preferred to descend upon their victims by dropping down with the sun at their backs as few creatures looked directly into the sun. For the ancient dragon though such a technique would not work as its bulk was large enough to blot out the sun, thus its need to take out entire villages or caravans. Still, he caught Ford glancing at the sun a few times as they rode.

On the third day the group was chose to leave the horses at an abandoned and burnt down farm before heading into the forest. The luscious dark green canopy nearly blocked out the sun, allowing only small patches to spill onto the forest floor. The narrow game trails and thick foliage slowed their pace but by the end of the third day they had reached the secluded valley nestled between several mountains.

A mighty river had carved out a deep valley through the mountains leaving cliffs several kilometers deep and two kilometers at the widest. Waterfalls dotted the cliffs, feeding the river and creating a spectacular view.

As he stood along the edge of a cliff, Ranma could see several burnt out dwarfish settlements had been carved out of the sides of the mountains. The scorch marks told of the dragon's attempt on the settlements but the dwarves were used to burrowing into the hard stone and had many homes beneath the mountains and out of the reach of the dragon. The elves were not as fortunate as most of their homes were in the trees or on the isolated plateaus that stood over the river and between the mountains.

"We have been forced into the abandoned caves," Yao stated as she seemed to read Ranma's mind. "There are many of them throughout the valley, but they provide little shelter for us. The dwarves offered to let us stay with them in their settlements beneath the mountains, but like the huorn we elves need to feel the breeze in our hair and the sun and moon on our skin."

"'Huorn'?" he repeated the unusual word.

"They are 'tree-folk'," Arpeggio translated as she used the best Japanese words to describe them. "They are a race of sentient trees and one of the three giant races along with minotaurs and titans. See," she pointed out several towering trees "those are young huorn."

The trees in question were a good ten meters taller than the other trees around them, and they were not the tallest of the trees in the valley. Even in his true form, Ford would have been dwarfed by the trees in the valley much less the huorn. "Huorn can live to see seven or eight centuries and are very protective of their kind. See how they moved away from the elvish village that was burned?"

Giant patches of unearthed ground encircled the burnt out village, thus keeping the flames from spreading to the rest of the forest.

"Tree in ruins was part huorn," Ford stated in broken common.

"Why do the trees not live on that mountain?" Ranma asked as he noticed that one of the mountains was barren of any foliage. Like the ground around the elvish village the earth was upturned as well.

"It is a volcano," Yao explained. "When I was a child it the mountain erupted in flame and smoke. That is why the huorn do not live by it any longer. Many of their elders died protecting the younglings."

"It doesn't look like it's been active lately, when was the last time it blew?" he asked as he eyed the trench that was carved out of the earth that lead directly to the river. The scorched remains of many mighty trees, some of them more than likely huorns, lined the trench as a possible warning to the younglings.

"Nearly two hundred years ago," Yao answered.

The dark elf led them through the forest. It became evident that the huorn did not care for established trails, though they did make sure to not disturb any of the normal trees if possible.

"If these are younglings, what happened do the older trees?" Ranma found himself asking.

"Some stay to guard the younglings, but most leave the valley," Arpeggio explained as though it were the only logical conclusion. "They leave in the spring after they fully mature and will explore the world. Some will find other valleys to inhabit and if they find another huorn or a suitable tree they will propagate. The tree in Arun that Ford was guarding probably took seed before Ford was brought there."

The redheaded minotaur turned girl nodded.

Ranma noted the twitching of Yao's ears even as he heard the twang of a taunt bowstring unleashing an arrow. There was not ill intent behind the act, merely a declaration that they had finally reached Yao's homeland. He did not understand the elvish tongue but knew enough that it was not the same dialect used by the elf maiden Tuka. Even Arpeggio could only shrug as the unseen bowman and Yao conversed.

"Come," she finally said as the leaves rustled before them, "the village elders are not far from here."

With a sigh Arpeggio accepted the fact that Ranma, still in his female guise, had swept the taller woman off her feet and was carrying her bridal style. In a matter of moments they reached a ledge. Below them was a twenty meter drop into the river. A male elf in black leather similar to the outfit that Yao wore appeared, carefully leading them down the face of the cliff as the sun began to set behind the mountain. It would be a tricky descent in the dark, but Ranma knew that they were in a hurry.

"No!" Arpeggio proclaimed as she realized what Ranma was planning to do.

Smiling, he covered her mouth to silence her protests even as he leapt off the cliff. The male elf nearly lost his grip on the ledge as he watched what he thought were two ordinary women leaping to their deaths. That the pair landed gracefully and softly astounded him. Ford's attempt was less graceful but left the rocky bank unscathed.

With a sigh, Yao quickly followed her clansman down the cliff. The pair chattered lightly in their odd elvish tongue while they descended.

"This is Crow," she said, introducing them to the elf. "I have already told him who you are. He says he has never seen such a powerful mage that could cast a levitation spell instantly and without a wand or staff," Yao translated. "I told him that you were a mighty warrior and a minotaur. He said that I must be bewitched if I could mistake Ford for a minotaur."

Both cursed redheads smirked as the elf led them towards a crevice. The fissure was barely large enough for one person to walk through and twisted and turned, making it difficult for anything larger than a typical human to pass through. After a good fifty meters the path finally opened into a cavern where a two score of elves congregated. Half were adults the rest appeared to be what passed as pre-teen adolescents but were probably around a century old.

"Yao," the apparent leader of the band said in common, "it has been over a month since you left. Has your journey been fruitful?" Ranma was relieved to see that the elders were not wearing the bondage leather outfits that Crow, Yao, and many of the younger elves opted to wear.

"Yes elder, it has," the humble elf replied as she prostrated herself before the elders. "I have brought back the mightiest warrior amongst the men in green."

"Where is this warrior?" one of the younger elves demanded. "I see but three women."

Without even glancing at Arpeggio, Ranma felt warm water being poured over his head. The startled gasps of the elves as they watched the two redheaded women turn into a young man and the other into a towering minotaur was enough to convince them that Yao had spoken the truth.

"Hi," Ranma said with a wave even as his chronicler splashed Ford with some cold water, "I am 2nd Lieutenant Ranma Saotome, of the JSDF."

"Ranma suffers from a curse," Arpeggio explained. "He transforms into a woman when splashed with cold water but back into his true form when doused with warm water."

Even as he wrung out his clothes he absently listened as she explained everything to the elves – his curse, his quest, his encounter with Ford, his role in the Italica siege, and his second encounter with Ford, and of course, why Ford was now a woman.

Out of the corner of his eyes he watched as several elves roughly Yao's age greeted her. Some were angry, some happy, most were relieved that someone had come to help them. He picked up bits about how the dwarves had offered them refuge and food, but would not aid them in actually battling the dragon or how some of their missing comrades had fallen to the dragon or to the flooding that occurred after every rainfall.

He was expecting them to be curious about his curse, but instead the elders kept the conversation focused on the dragon and their current situation. Ranma was not sure if it was because the long-lived elves were more pragmatic or if they repressed their curiosity more.

"It seems that our prayers have been answered," one of the younger elves stated. "Just the other day I saw the flame dragon descending into the volcano with a bear in its claw. When it left there was no trace of the bear. It is likely that it has created a nest in the volcano."

"That's a start," Ranma muttered. "We check it out in the morning."

He could tell that the elves were putting on a feast for him. They tried to give him the lion's share of the venison that the few hunters had managed to bring down while the rest ate some fishy stew. He knew that he needed the nourishment but he could not take from those in need. Instead he broke out his secret stash of green tea flavored chocolate covered waffers. The small individual packets that came in the large bag had been one the last purchase he'd made at the PX before he'd encountered Yao.

Ford glared at him. The minotaur had a sweet tooth, even exceeding Ranma's when they were both in their female form. In his true guise, the flesh of young, virgin women were his sweet of choice, but as a part time human woman he had given up on the idea of eating humans again. Chocolates, especially the super sweet milk chocolates were his favorite. It was what the minotaur turned girl would often purchase with his limited income as the muscle at the tavern and for one of the shops. His other obsession was cherry cola or grape soda.

"Where did you get that?" Arpeggio asked, still surprised at his ability to hid things on his person. "Did you at least bring a Rod of Steel?"

Ranma shook his head as he offered a treat to one of the youngish looking elves. They were probably far older than he was regardless of what they looked like. At least they didn't wear the tight black leather outfits that some of the older elves wore. "I don't need one of those to beat the dragon."

There was no doubt in the 2nd Lieutenant's mind when it came to the outcome of the battle. It was the little details though that weighed on him. Ford would not leave his side, Arpeggio needed to witness the battle to chronicle it, but Yao and the elf that had suggested that the nest was in the volcano were interchangeable and one of them would need to go with him.

The reality of the situation never ceased to surprise Ranma as he found himself with nine eager volunteers. Still, with their spirit magic he had an idea of how to use them without putting them in too much danger.

It took them nearly half a day to reach the volcano. Seeing it up close, Ranma knew that they would need to be quick but quiet as they climbed the mountain as the barren mountainside offered no cover for the group. The elves seemed to take it as good fortune that the dragon had not been spotted, but Ranma could not shake the nagging feeling that something bad was about to go down.

Reaching the lip of the dormant volcano he gazed down and frowned. The dragon's distinctive bright red was at the bottom of the hole around a hundred and fifty meters below. The distance was too much for him, but he was not alone.

"Here's the plan," Ranma said as he handed Arpeggio a walkie-talkie, "Ford and I are going to engage the dragon. I want all of you to space yourselves along the lip of the volcano and use your spirit magic to freeze the rim. Make it as cold as you can, and try to stay five to ten paces away from the rim if possible, I don't want you to get caught up in this anymore than you have."

He turned back to Arpeggio, "I need"

"A freezing charm" she said, finishing his sentence.

Ranma nodded. "How long will it last?"

"Five minutes."

"Cast it on Ford," he ordered her. "That should protect him from the dragon's fire."

Reaching into his pack, he pulled what appeared to be a spade attached to two rings and a thermos with hot water. To their credit the elves did not blush when Ford disrobed before being doused with a measure of the water. With a malicious grin the towering minotaur slipped the weapons onto each hand. The makeshift punch daggers were no longer than Ranma's forearm, but with the force that Ford could produce with his blows they would be enough to at least pierce the dragon's armor.

"Ready?" Ranma asked.

Ford's grin spread to his eyes as the beast nodded.

With ease, Ranma leapt atop Ford's shoulders even as the elves rushed to get into place. Yao, Crow, and one of the others had already begun their spells, bits of frost appearing on the formerly sun warmed rocks. Once Arpeggio's spell was complete the titan took a running leap into the volcano.

The air rushed past Ranma's face as he held onto Ford's mane. Letting out a titanic bellowing challenge, Ford angled it so that he was coming down head and horns first at the now startled dragon. Instinctively it belched out a stream of fire. Caught off guard, the blast was far from lethal to another titanic creature like the minotaur. The freezing enchantment combined with Ranma's Soul of Ice reduced the heat of the blow to something akin to a warm breeze though the force of the blow slowed the attackers' descent. Still, the dragon barely had time to react as the ten meter tall minotaur came crashing down upon it.

Somehow Ranma managed to hold on as all three combatants tumbled along the floor of the pit. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw that they were rolling away from the nest and the still unhatched eggs. In the chaos, Ford managed to grab hold of the dragon's good foreleg while he rained down punches with his right. The punching dagger managed to find the gaps in the tough scales and draw blood, but the wounds were only superficial.

The dragon answered, raking Ford's legs with its own hind legs. Not wanting to have his legs ripped to shreds, Ford disengaged, allowing the dragon to instead him off. Both of the titans rolled to their feet, the dragon on its hind legs and Ford on his hooves. From tip to tail the dragon was easily over fifty meters, and even on all three legs its body was as thick as Ford was tall. The dragon's appearance was more along the lines of Harry Potter's horntail than it was King Ghidorah, though it was closer to the later in terms of size.

Rearing up on its hind legs, it let out another blast of fire. Ford easily dodged though the heat from the blast was immense despite the effect of Arpeggio's spell. Between his Soul of Ice and the Phoenix Pill he'd taken years ago, Ranma had a degree of immunity from flames, but this was pushing it.

Because of the size disparity, the dragon opted to remain out of Ford's reach as it unleashed torrent after torrent of fire. That was just how Ranma wanted it. He watched as the dragon's stomach heaved before it unleashed each fiery blast, how its chest contracted, and how the muscles in the neck and jaw affected the direction and intensity of each attack.

"Now!" the 2nd lieutenant shouted into Ford's ear.

Gigantic hands enveloped Ranma. He could feel the force behind Ford's mighty pitch and then felt the air rushing past him. He'd timed it perfectly just as the dragon was reaching the end of another blast, Ranma was flying through the air. Timing things just right, he suddenly straightened even as he focused his freezing aura into his hand and delivered a chilling punch to the wounded torso of the dragon. It would not be a killing blow, but it had shattered several of the tough scales through the combined force of his punch and the chill of his aura.

The dragon let out a roar of pain as it was knocked off its feet yet again.

"Yes!" Ranma shouted as he landed gently on his feet. "We got this!"

A roar drowned out Ranma's cry of triumph. Yes, he'd been premature on his declaration, as that battle was not yet won, but the roar only confirmed that maybe he hadn't taken everything into account.

Glancing back at the nest, he watched as a second gigantic dragon emerged from a tunnel in the side of the cavern. While it was not as large as the ancient fire dragon, the blue was still larger than Ford.

Ranma's eyes went wide with shock as the dragon blasted the minotaur not with scorching flames or even lightning, but with a blast of water. The force of the blast sent the cursed minotaur crashing into the wall. The limp form of the naked girl worried Ranma. Seeing a slight twitch as Ford tried to get to his feet though told the 2nd lieutenant that his companion would at least live, though now Ranma found himself between two powerful dragons.

"I'm so glad I had a Plan B," he muttered as he rolled out of the way of the flame dragon's tail swipe. The words were not reassuring, especially as he really hadn't thought of a back-up plan, merely a contingency plan.

It was not that Ranma had not thought about brining weapons like the "Rod of Steel", C4, or even a few grenades, but he did not want to deal with the hassle of doing the paperwork for it. He was a soldier on leave. Had he owned any weapons personally he would have been allowed to bring those with him, but the only things that he'd had were what he'd given Ford to use. The gigantic punch daggers were easy enough for him to carry around, but they were the extent of what he could reasonably carry with him.

As a martial artist Ranma knew that his body and soul were a weapon, he just had to choose to unleash them. He had honored his father's request to not use the sealed techniques against humans (or humanoids), but dragons did not fall into that category. But even those techniques would not be enough to guarantee victory, at least, not those techniques alone. That was Ranma's greatest weapon – his adaptability.

Leaping over a tail swipe, he let out a lightning quick kick. To the human eye, his vacuum blade was invisible. He was not sure that the same was true of the dragons' eyes. Judging by the reaction of the blue as the first of the vacuum blades hit its scales the creature had not expected the blow. While it had not injured the beast, the attack had annoyed it.

Ranma grinned as he began to focus more of his icy aura into his feet before kicking again. Again the dragon reacted to the hit, though it was not bothered by it. Still, the hint of frost on its scale told him that his attack was successful. It was not that he cared to hit the creature, but that his careful merging of two powerful techniques had worked.

Nimbly he danced around the mated dragons' attacks, sticking to his tried but true most powerful technique. He could feel the cold air descending from the mouth of the volcano even as he dodged the flames from the red and the claws and tail of the blue. His own Soul of Ice was being tested as he pumped out more than usual to compensate for the scorching hot flames and the glowing red stones that were left in the wake of the two dragons' attacks.

Carefully he led them around the outer edge of the cavern and slowly worked his way towards the center. He could feel the hot air reacting to his icy aura. The technique was primed and ready to go. He waited for the red to rear up on its hind legs again as it prepared to blast him with yet another jet of flames while the blue seemed to wait for him to dodge so it could attack at him with either its mouth or spiked tail. Rather than leaping out of the way as the dragons had expected, he simply flipped over and spun around, kicking out his legs and unleashing two massive frozen vacuum blades. The cold sparked the technique, kicking up the hot air even as cold air descended from above as a result of the elves' freezing spells. The sudden winds threw off the flames and created a cyclone of flame as the heat ascended.

But Ranma did not stop even as the tumultuous wind buffeted the dragons. Their claws ripped at the stone beneath them as they tried to dig in while Ranma sent more frozen vacuum blades into the growing tornado. Howling winds drowned out the dragons roars as they fought the invisible force that tried to force them from their nest.

The blue was the first to lose its footing and be sent into the air. It crashed into the side of the volcano, then spun around, hit another side, as the funnel grew.

Ranma released the Soul of Ice though he continued to spin as he sent out more and more vacuum blades. The relentless assault collided with the dragons but they did not yield. Hearing another bellowing challenge, he spied Ford, once again in his true form, charging into the cyclone. Somehow Ranma had bought the minotaur time to recover his senses, find a pool of hot water left from the blue dragon's attack, and transformed.

Throwing himself into the fray with reckless abandon, Ford tackled the blue, driving his horns into the dragon's back before the pair of them were thrown asunder into the air. They collided forcefully with the side of the volcano, the blue getting the worst of that exchange as Ford's horns drove deeper into its back.

The flame dragon released its hold on the ground, though Ranma was unsure if it was voluntary or involuntary. Using its mighty wings it managed to navigate the well enough that it did not crash into the side of the volcano. Not one to abandon his comrades, Ranma grabbed a blade even as he twisted so that he landed on his feet before springing into the cyclone. Using the flying debris as a springboard he propelled himself towards the flame dragon. While his attack lacked the impact of Ford's, Ranma still hit the dragon in the weakened torso area where Ford had previously connected with several blows with his punch dagger. Gripping the scales, Ranma tore several out before he began hammering away at the exposed flesh with his swift fists. His fist slammed into the dragon's exposed hide faster than most eyes could comprehend, finally ripping through the flesh on punch three hundred and ten. He drove his fist in on the three hundred and eleventh punch, eliciting a roar of pain and surprise from the ancient red.

Suddenly they slammed into the side of the volcano as the pain had disrupted the dragon's mild control on their flight path. Ranma held on with all his might. Gripping the rescued sword in his other hand he stabbed the dragon one final time, burying his arm, fist, and blade deep into the dragon's chest. He must have hit an artery because the wound began to gush blood as he pulled his arm out. Again he drove his fist and knife in, this time taking a slightly different angle. He could feel something rip or tear. Extracting his arm he felt a sudden air being expelled, nearly blowing him off of the injured dragon.

Ranma knew that a dragon's anatomy was different than a humans, and had even listened to Arpeggio's explanation that dragons do not breath fire, they merely cause a spark with their tongue and teeth which ignites the gases stored inside its body. Rather than excreting their waste as most animals do, a dragon's digestive track stores the decomposing waste while microorganisms break down everything into the base elements. Separate bladders within the dragon containing hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen allow the dragon to breath fire as well as making the dragons lighter than other creatures of similar size making it easier for them to fly.

Hoping that his luck was holding out, Ranma pulled out the last item he'd brought with him from Alnus Hill. With one hand he pulled off the protective coating before driving his hand into the wound. Dropping the knife, he used both hands to ignite the flare.

The resulting explosion sent him flying from the dragon, a trail of fire chasing him only to be disrupted by the fierce winds. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought of the famous blimp that had blown up, though he couldn't remember the name at the moment. He wondered if this was what those unfortunate passengers felt in their final moments.

A jet of flame erupted from the wound, as that was the weakness exposed. The dragon was being burned from the inside out. The fierce winds died down once they passed the lip of the volcano though the corpse was carried a good distance down the mountainside.

Somehow Ranma managed to navigate the torrent of winds, landing not too far from where Ford had initially jumped into the volcano.

"You did it!" Arpeggio exclaimed.

He smirked, "Don't sound so surprised."

"Ranma!"

"You did it!"

"The dragon is dead!"

He could hear the elves letting out equally surprised cries of victory as they spied the burning corpse.

"You've saved us!"

"Never in my life had I ever thought I would witness such a feat!"

"That's nothing," Ranma's ego seemed to get the best of him, "I could go another round or two if I needed to. Too bad the dragon's already dead."

"Then you won't mind if we intrude?" a voice asked.

The group had been so wrapped up in there celebrations that none of them had noticed that blue skinned woman in white gothic Lolita and the two young dragons arrive.

"That's a dragon-kin, right?" Ranma asked Arpeggio.

"Dragonoid," the scholar corrected.

The dragons were significantly younger and smaller than the initial pair though they bore the same colored scales.

"Are dragons color coordinated," Ranma asked curiously.

"That red one is a fire dragon, the blue is a water dragon," Arpeggio whispwered.

"The Goddess has heard our prayers," one of the elves exclaimed, "though the flame dragon is already defeated."

The blue skinned woman visibly bristled.

"Let me guess, you didn't come here to slay the dragon," Ranma ventured as he planted himself between the newcomer and the elves.

"Very astute of you," she remarked dryly. "Why would I want to slay it when I was the one who woke it from its slumber?"

"Why would you do that?" Yao demanded.

"I need a strong ally if I am to fight and capture Rory Mercury," the woman replied.

"You're looking to fight an apostle?" Ranma muttered aloud. "Then I guess you're an apostle too."

The blue skinned woman blinked. "Is he serious?"

Arpeggio nodded, "He is not from our world, so he does not know who the apostles are, though he knows of them.

"Ranma Saotome, this is Giselle, the Apostle of Hardy, the Goddess of the Underworld and Death."

* * *

A/N

I'll leave that hear for now.

Yes, expect this fic to head into uncharted territory.

Dreamingfox


	5. Chapter 5

Years of fighting experience allowed the 2nd lieutenant to quickly gage his opponent. He was used to fighting people who were deceptively stronger or quicker then they appeared, but from the looks of Giselle's scythe it was clear that she was at least on par with Rory, and probably just as quick. Still, Rory hadn't been on his level despite being an apostle. Still, this was not a battle he wanted. Giselle he could easily account for, but the dragons would be able to take out at least two of the elves each if not all of them considering that they were still clumped together.

"Why?" Yao demanded. "We prayed to Hardy for aid and protection…."

"If you aren't strong enough to take care of yourself than what good are you to Hardy?" Giselle retorted snidely. "If you were truly useful to Hardy then you would be willing to do whatever it is she asks of you, even if it is to be food for the dragons. But now that I know you were part of the party responsible for killing the flame dragon I find that I must reevaluate your usefulness. Kill this arrogant human and come with me to serve Hardy."

"I refuse," it was the eldest of the dark elves in the band. Crow was supposedly the most devout of the group, but hearing the truth of the situation seemed to make him realize just how disinterested his goddess truly was. "It was because of you that our friends and family died!"

"If you keep that up you'll all be dead," the blue skinned dragon-folk said threateningly as she lifted her mighty scythe so that it rested on her shoulder.

There was a time during basic training that Ranma loathed talking about. Physically, Ranma Saotome was a specimen unlike any others. Emotionally he was immature, but his instructors had felt that he, like the other younger enlistees, would grow out of it. Psychologically he was generally unbreakable with the one exception – his fear of cats. The fear itself was not the issue - it was that his ailurophobia could induce a berserker state. His instructors and their superiors had to evaluate the trainee and when they saw what he was capable of normally, they were gravely concerned.

Simply admitting that cats were an issue with him had been a big deal for him, but with the help of some trusted psychologists, he had been able to control his fear and avoid becoming a mindless berserker. What he'd gotten out of the therapy was that it was that he was afraid of losing control and accidentally killing someone. The 'cat' in him was merely him reacting on instinct to things that threatened him or would seek out things that satisfied him. His therapists and instructors had pushed him further than he thought possible until finally he could control his id by allowing him to satisfy himself. The hardest part of therapy had been him admitting to the fact that he had carnal thoughts about women and that regardless of his physical form, he was attracted to women. Yes, there were martial arts masters who were celibate, but he did not have to be one of those if he did not want to.

It would have probably been easier had he simply given and slept with Ukyo and Shampoo. Both had been willing and eager, but Ranma did not want to stir up the murky waters that had settled in the weeks after graduation. That his military career and pride were on the line had irked him, but he knew that his instructors and therapist had been right, he just needed to be able to, well, get it out of his system.

The woman he'd encountered while on leave was a red-headed Russian only a few months older than he. She was a mixed martial artist who had come to learn judo. They'd sparred of course, and then enjoyed a fun dinner and drinks afterwards, somewhere along the way they had connected. That night they'd shared a moment together in some love hotel, and then more moments in the bed, shower, floor, bed, shower, hot-tub, and back in bed, before spending the next day at a hot springs resort having more moments together before she had to return to her training and him to his training.

When he'd returned to basic training he realized that he was no longer afraid. His therapist had said that perhaps the cats were just a physical manifestation of his fears, and that he had been holding himself back for years. Honestly, Ranma didn't care. He was too busy trying to improve his technique and pass all the tests that his other instructors had lined up for him.

Ranma Saotome was no longer afraid and he knew that the only thing that could hold him back was himself. Eying the blue skinned woman with her menacing scythe he did not even bother to say anything to her or the others.

In a flash he had closed the distance between them and his fist was already connecting with Giselle's face. "Spread out!" he ordered the dark elves even as a sphere of golden energy formed in his left hand. He was limited in his options as he could not use his most powerful techniques for fear of his allies getting caught in the crossfire. Still, he had some more tricks at his disposal.

Twin spheres of golden energy flew from his hands at each of the startled dragons, hitting them square in their faces and momentarily blinding them. In taking time to attack the dragons he allowed Giselle to swing the butt of her scythe at him in an attempt to put some distance between them.

"Why a scythe?" he asked as he nimbly avoided her attack. Again he shot off a pair of Moko Takabishas at the dragons he shook his head. "You do know that aside from looking impressive, the scythe is really an impractical weapon."

"I'll show you how practical it is!" Giselle growled as she attempted to sweep his legs.

"Sure, you've got some range, and the power to use it, that's it," he lectured as he stepped onto the shaft before connecting with a powerful vertical kick to her chin. "Or you could have shifted the blade so that it would be more like a glaive or spear. Sure, you could use the shaft like a bo-staff and use the blade to cut your opponent on the rebound or to get past an opponent's guard but I'm unarmed and not likely to let you hit me with the shaft or the blade, and obviously much faster than you, so you're at a disadvantage."

"Shut up!" She swung her weapon low-to-high and would have bisected him had he not been fast enough to avoid her attack.

He replied with another barrage of punches, this time to her exposed side.

The sound of the 20mm bullets impacting the dragons startled all but Ranma. He's long since gotten used to how the military worked and when he'd spotted the helicopter in the distance before he knew that he needed to get the elves out of the line of fire. He hadn't expected the 6th Division to be operational yet, but that had been three days ago, or was it four?

The two dragons were not like the wyverns that had been involved in the Ginza Incident or the two assaults on Alnus Hill as their scales were able to hold up against the strafing fire from the F-2s. Still, the multi-purpose fighter jets were keeping the dragons' attention away from Ranma and the elves.

"Let me show you how to use this," Ranma taunted as he laid his hands on the scythe. Vaulting forwards he connected with a hard kick to Giselle's torso that robbed her of the strength to keep hold of her weapon. With one hand he spun the scythe around so that the butt of the weapon was leading his attack on the red dragon. The weapon was hefty but it did not slow him down at all. The force of the blow rocked the dragon, but it was his follow through that separated the creature's head from its neck. Like a chicken with its head cut off, the body writhed and thrashed, even going so far as to try and launch itself into the air.

Pure animalistic instinct drove the blue dragon into flight mode as it sought to survive. Rather than taking to the air, the blue ran down the side of the volcano towards the canyon and the river below. The jets gave chase as they made a return pass.

Turning his attention back to Giselle, he tossed the scythe to the side. "Is that all you've got?"

She bristled in anger, but knew that she was defeated. "What god or goddess do you serve? I would know the name of the newest Apostle."

"Humph! Like I would serve any god," Ranma retorted.

"No mortal could best an Apostle," Giselle scoffed.

"Well this mortal just did," the 2nd lietuenat stated.

"Perhaps I underestimated you," the apostle stated as she circled around Ranma to retrieve her weapon. "The next time we meet I will not make that mistake again."

He shook his head, "The next time we meet, I won't let you off this easily."

* * *

That his first meeting upon returning to the fort was with the Lt. General was no surprise. While he had officially been on leave for nearly two weeks the fact that members of the 6th Division had come to 'assist' the citizens of Elbe from the threat of the flame dragons was sure to have gotten out. He just hoped that he could still get out of having to file a report. "2nd Lieutenant Ranma Saotome reporting in, sir," he said with a sharp salute.

"Welcome back," Lt. General Hazama said as he returned the salute. They were joined by 1st Lieutenant Yanagida. "At ease." The grim look on Hazama's face was anything but welcoming, though the old man at least valued decorum. With a sigh, the commander of the JSDF in the Special Region settled into his comfortable leather desk chair. "Please, tell us about your trip."

Ranma Saotome hated filing reports, it was one of the reasons why he had refused to be promoted to 1st lieutenant after the Ginza Incident. He did not want the responsibility of dealing with subordinates and with the paperwork associated with the position. By requesting all of the time off that he had accrued he had hoped to avoid dealing with any paperwork and red tape. Unfortunately the truth of the matter was that such an undertaking was bound to attract attention.

It took nearly an hour to go over everything, with both men occasionally asking him questions or wanting him to elaborate about the battle with the dragons and then the second battle with the apostle Giselle and her dragons.

"And the elves renounced Hardy?" the 1st Lieutenant asked.

Ranma nodded, "They've all changed their names. They expect some reprisal, but honestly, they're not afraid of Giselle or Hardy right now."

Hazama nodded. "Something happened while you were gone."

The mood in the office suddenly changed.

"Our peace negotiations with the Empire have been called off."

Ranma stiffened at the news.

"The short story is that some of our forces infiltrated the capital, discovered that the Crown Prince had a Japanese citizen in his possession which led to a confrontation with the prince and royal guard, and ultimately the recovery of said citizen," Yanagida stated. "We suspect that there are more Japanese citizens turned slaves."

The 2nd Lieutenant could feel the muscles in his neck and jaw tightening. In his three days of fighting near the Gate he'd witnessed many of the retreating troops carrying people and loot back through the Gate well before the JSDF troops had captured it.

"Word of the breakdown in peace talks has reached Italica and Elbe, and both fiefdoms have declared independence from the Empire and seek our assistance in protecting their borders and their citizens."

"As I understand it, the King of Elbe has bestowed some land to you for your service to his kingdom," Yanagida interjected. "He says that you sold you're the weapons you found to the elves and dwarves in exchange for some armor and weapons for your companion Ford, and sold some of the dragons' corpses to ensure that the remaining dragon hatchlings were not killed."

Ranma nodded.

"You have made a name for yourself, 2nd Lieutenant," Hazama stated. "That is why I decided that your next assignment is going to be off book."

That seemed to relieve some of the tension in his jaw and neck.

"Officially you will be working with the natives of the Special Region, mostly inhabitants from Elbe and Italica as well as the refugees that now reside in the village," Yanagida stated. "Unofficially you are to pick those that you can trust and train them to into an elite squad. Since you are working with natives, you are not allowed to teach them how to use firearms or military explosives."

"I suggest you use your newfound wealth to procure whatever you think you will need for your team," Hazama added.

Ranma nodded. He understood that someone else was keeping tabs on the JSDF, in particular the ammunition that was spent. Each squad leader was tasked with writing down and keeping track of weapons and ammo used, and each squad had to turn in all unused equipment. In the case of damaged equipment, field commanders had to give an in depth report and if the equipment was lost they had to explain the circumstances. Thus far all of the damaged equipment had been recovered. For his part Ranma always insisted on using his own equipment and never used a firearm, thus reducing the amount of paperwork that he had to fill out. "Understood."

He'd heard that the Princess had tried to sneak a loaded gun back into the Special Region and that Itami had covered for her and taken responsibility for it, but Ranma knew that firearms were dangerous in the wrong hands.

"But the slaying of the flame dragon and its mate were fortunate for us," Hazama added. "Few survived the first two battles for Alnus Hill and only the senators, nobles, and Emperor knew the outcome and thus word of the Empire and Unified Army's defeat had been obscured, but everyone in the area knew about the flame dragon and how powerful it was. By using the heads we've sent a message to the citizens of the Empire that we are a force to be reckoned with.

"Of course, word has already spread that you were the one responsible for killing the flame dragon," Yanagida added. "Which is why people will be flocking to the refugee village – I am sure there are going to be many who want to join you as you seek to complete the feat needed to impress Elange."

* * *

For the first time in her life Arpeggio was exhilarated. As a mineralogist she had understood that she would have to endure mind-numbing work just to fund her research. When Elange had assigned her to be Ranma's chronicler she had resented him for taking her away from her work, but now that he was a Duke of Elbe he had access of vast quantities of minerals that she had never thought to work with. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined being able to afford so even a gram of some of the different minerals and elements that Ranma had purchased. Even the money she had earned while translating for the JSDF and the princess had been equivalent to several months of transcribing work for her, but it paled in comparison to what Duke Saotome had at his disposal.

With his new title and responsibilities it was no wonder that more and more people were trying to catch his eye or even his ear. As his chronicler she was just there to observe, not advise so many overlooked and ignored her as they sought an audience with the new Duke of Elbe.

Yao was, well, Yao. Ranma did not want a slave, and by the Japanese laws he could not have one despite the traditions and laws in Elbe and the Empire that allowed for such a practice. As such he had simply told the dark elf that she could stay by his side until she repaid him for the service he rendered her village. As his attendant, Yao had more people seeking her out as it was easier to find her than it was to find Ranma.

Many of the non-humans approached Ford, though the minotaur was not easily impressed, he had introduced Ranma to the dryad Rime Trostani. She, like the elf Tuka, had survived the flame dragon's rage when the beast had burned down part of the Coan Forest where the elvish village had been hidden. A member of the non-giant species of tree-folk, she took on the visage similar to a human but had wooden features and could converse with plants. It was rare for dryads to interact with humans and in those cases it was when humans attempted to clear the grove that a dryad lived in. This was unheard of.

Not one to turn away those in need, the lands granted to him quickly became home to other displaced dryads, arachnoids, and ogres. To oversee his fiefdom, Ranma had appointed a council of elders from each of the humanoid races that was to inhabit the land, entrusting them to act with regard for each other and to work together for everyone's benefit. It was perhaps idealistic, but they had all agreed to it as they were not taxed and as Ranma had set up a fund with the wealth he had earned from selling off the dragons' corpses to paying any taxes that the King of Elbe might require from him.

With his new title and duties, it was no surprise that Ranma was surrounding himself with honest, capable people. Aside from herself, Rime, and Ford, several others had taken up training with the famous dragon slayer, though only a handful had remained after the first week. Ranma had set up a rigorous challenge, or series of challenges actually. Some of the men in green had taken to calling it the Ninja Warrior course jokingly. Every day Ranma ran the course, though he often added to it and did not run in the same sequence. It consisted of suspended logs, rock climbing, ropes, suspended ladders, moving training dummies, crevices to jump into and climb out of, a tall wall to scale, and a hill to traverse – all of it rigged with slingshots that launched little balls of hardened paint that exploded upon hitting a person.

Though she was tasked with being his chronicler, Arpeggio had not had the time to get to know the hardy fools that eagerly sought to prove themselves to the new duke. She was far too busy inspecting the various materials that Ranma and Yanagida had requested be brought back from the valley.

"Hey Peggy." Ever the informal pratt, Ranma had taken to calling her Peggy instead of using her proper name. It infuriated her.

"Saotome," she replied, using his family name as most of the JSDF members tended to do when speaking with someone they knew but did not know well. To someone as informal as Ranma, the use of his family name riled him.

"There's no need to get so worked up," he said as he held his hands up to show that he meant no offense. Yes, he liked to use pet names and nick-names, but it was still improper.

"I am not worked up!" She was, but she refused to admit it. Honestly, they had not spoken much since Italica and their inadvertent kiss. Her heart was pounding and her face was flush. "I have"

"So much work to do," Ranma finished for her. "I know. I'm sorry that I've got you working so hard, but you know, I've never really cared much about a title or land, and Yanagida insists that I at least check out the land for anything that might be valuable as well as finding out what makes that valley so particular to the tree-folk."

"I know," she muttered. The weather really was nice, though it was uncomfortably warm to her. She had not realized it, but she found herself leaning against the man whose adventures she was tasked with chronicling. His firm, muscular chest felt cool to her even through the course fabric of his uniform and her dirty cottons. She expected him to flinch, but when he didn't she expected him to tease her about her coming onto him. She wanted to pull away, but couldn't muster the strength needed. "Ranma."

"Medic! MEDIC!"

* * *

Time was of little importance to the Goddess Hardy. Gods and Goddesses did not mark time as mortals or even demi-gods did as kingdoms and empires came and went without them noticing or caring. Hardy herself only bothered to keep track of interesting events – the near annialation of the minotaur race, Rory Mercury becoming an apostle, the destruction of Arun, and the start of the war of the Gods. Well, the last had not started, but she had set things in motion. It had taken considerable effort on her behalf to open the Gate a few centuries early, but the fruits of her labor were already taking seed. The efforts of her own apostle paled in comparison to what this Ranma Saotome had accomplished. Not only had he spread the death spores that the foolish heretic created, but his people had also brought forth a plague from their lands and unleashed it on the humans.

Hardy grinned as she felt the first of her new army rising. Yes, they were weak, but with sufficient numbers they would lay waste to the continent of Falmart, leaving only her faithful and allowing her to oust the other gods.

"You will not win."

Hardy frowned as she turned to face the goddess that had intruded into her domain. "Elange, what brings you here? Is there an answer that you seek?" she grinned maliciously. The lesser goddess flinched in the face of the elder goddess.

"I do not come here with any questions as I already have the answers I need," the goddess of knowledge stated. "I came to tell you that you will fail. Yes, you sought to entertain yourself by opening the Gate, and hoped to bring a power forth that would further your goals, but you cannot hope to control them. Look how your apostle was foiled so easily by a mere mortal. Was she not also soundly defeated by him as well?"

The smile faded from the dark goddess' face. "It matters not if I win or lose," she said feigning disinterest once again. "I am simply bored. None of the others interests me, though Rory is proving to be a spitfire, she too has lost her luster. I cannot help but feel the need to find a new toy."

Elange forced a smile to her face, "I believe that you may have what you need rather than what you desire."

* * *

Historians often speak of the colonial era with fondness, regaling tales of how the civilized European helped spread their traditions and improve the life of the natives. As history is generally written by the victors much of colonial history focuses on the advancements that the Europeans brought to the 'New World' and most conflicts were relegated to disputes between the colonial powers. This narrative helps historians ignore the fact that over 90% of the native populace perished, not from war and battle, but from diseases introduced by the colonial Europeans and their African slaves.

While all of the JSDF soldiers had been gone through health screening prior to passing through the Gate, the procedures employed to ensure that the diseases were not passed from the Japanese soldiers to the inhabitants of the special region were limited to personal and their equipment. The glaring failure occurred with the blossoming trade that had occurred after the population of the refugee village exploded.

Mass produced porcelain, plastic figures, exotic man-made fabrics, and volumes of catalogues illustrating Japanese fashion and countless other trinkets were brought through the Gate and sold to the inhabitants of the village. Many merchants transported their otherworldly goods to the other cities, spreading foreign pathogens. It did not help that the influenza season in Japan had just ended, but to the inhabitants of the Special Region where those strains of disease had never touch even a simple cough was deadly. It did not help that the medical practices in the Special Region were centuries behind the modern practices of their Japanese counterparts.

"How is she?" Ranma asked. A sheet of clear, immaculate glass separated him from the doctor. It was hard to see the man's face as he was also wearing a hazmat suit to for his protection and for the protection of his patients.

"She has a severe fever," the man's voice was transmitted via local intercom. The hastily constructed Quarantine ward of the clinic had taken priority over the housing for the members of the 6th Division but had not upset any of the soldiers as the outbreak had quickly claimed over two thirds of the humans who resided in Alnus Village. The name had stuck as the population had grown beyond the initial refugees. The Alnus Hospital was now home to only a quarter of the village's total population. None of the demi-humans had taken ill, though a few had complained of fever and body aches, their symptoms were not as severe. Biologically speaking they were similar to humans, even able to cross-breed, but the differences were immeasurable and incalculable to the scientifically minded doctors. "We're able to keep it within reason, but if this keeps up for another day…."

Beside the doctor, the blue haired Lelei nodded. Unlike the doctor, the young girl's hazmat outfit was blue, signifying that she was not a part of the medical team but was none the less useful in the hospital. Like her sister, she too had a keen intelligence and had mastered the nuances of the Japanese dialect in a short amount of time, making her invaluable to the three score of humans that currently resided in Alnus' hospital and their families that waited outside. "I need a moment with the lieutenant."

"Of course," the doctor said as he moved to tend to the myriad of patients.

Glancing to see that no one else was around the viewing window, she pressed the button on the intercom, "I see that you registered her with your name."

The 2nd Lieutenant felt his throat going dry and simply nodded.

"I suppose that the two of you did travel extensively together," Lelei remarked. Her voice was emotionless as always though the speakers seemed to add to it by making her voice seem more robotic and synthesized. "It is the same with myself and Itami."

His heart nearly skipped a beat.

"I know that she and I have not had the opportunity to speak much since our reunion in Italica," the girl added, "but I do know that she is afraid"

That time his heart did skip a beat.

"I am sure that it is because she does not know what she feels when she thinks of you. I have seen her around you and I see that she is happier than I have ever seen her before."

"That's just because I've brought her a wealth of materials to examine and study," he muttered as he averted his eyes, not even bothering to press the button on his side of the glass.

"I," Lelei's voice faltered for once, "I would think that you would make an excellent brother. I just hope that you do not break her heart as you broke the flame dragon's."

He woke with a start even as his mind raced and tried to discern what was real and what had been merely a dream. The hard wooden benches that lined the visitor's lounge were meant to discourage visitors from staying too long, but Ranma was used to sleeping on harder.

"Yo," it was Yanagida with coffee in one hand and tea in the other. "You look like you could use some."

Ranma nodded even as he rolled his neck and worked out a kink in his shoulders. "Thanks."

"How is she?" the 1st lieutenant asked.

"Last time the doc was here she said Peggy had a fever over 38." He sipped at the steaming hot liquid. "They're pumping antibiotics into her IV and that's all they can do for her."

"She's been like this for a week though," Akira muttered as he glanced through the sterilized glass at the scores of infected.

"She was the first one that was brought in, so of course she's been here the longest. It's hard to say how sick everyone else was when they were brought here and not many actually kept track of how long they had a fever. Doc says that it's good that she isn't showing any other symptoms. As long as she wakes up she should be fine."

Akira nodded as he settled into the bench beside Ranma. "The weather here threw us off. It's still summer here, but it'll be autumn soon."

"How bad is it out there?"

"Bad. The doctors suspect that there are two diseases. The first was probably brought back by some of the troops that took leave recently, just as Japan was being hit with the latest influenza wave. The second is a fungal infection that targets human women. Somehow they've combined and mutated."

Ranma stiffened. Why did that sound familiar? "Crety." His face was buried in his palm. "I'm responsible."

"Not entirely," the 1st Lieutenant said in a strange display of consideration. "You didn't go back to Japan, though it's likely that someone happened to sneeze or cough on something that was brought over. Someone from the Special Region caught our flu, and they also were exposed to the spores that you blew into the atmosphere when you first fought Ford."

"Then it's my fault."

"Only partially," Yanagida said with a slight smile. "You can't take the blame for all of it though. Somewhere along the line someone who got sick with the fungal infection got the flu and now that disease is running rampant in the capital. The doctors think that most of the ones they're treating here simply have the flu, but to be safe"

"They're going to move Arpeggio into isolation," Ranma finished.

"Her and anyone who came in from Italica," the 1st Lieutenant corrected. "It is fortunate that you found a dryad. Rime is able to detect those with the fungal infection faster than the doctors can with their tests."

Part of him was relieved at that but it did not ease the guilt that he felt.

"Of course negotiations have stalled due to the number of Rose Knights that have been stricken with the illness, but there are a number of pro-war senators and nobles who have been stricken as well. Several Princes and Princesses have also been stricken, though not Princess Pina or the Emperor.

"Still, there are entire districts of the capital which have been burnt down because of number of dead rising. There is talk amongst the demi-humans that have been oppressed that now is the time for them to strike back at the Empire that has subjugated and persecuted them for so long. With the other kingdoms that comprised the Unified Army weakened they are in no position to aid or strike, but I doubt that any of them would want to aid the Emperor and the Empire."

"So my team isn't needed?"

"On the contrary, we'll need them more than ever. We need the people of the land to see us as allies and not a threat to them. The humans who are in control recognize that, but few of the demi-humans feel that way other than the handful in Italica. That's why you're important. The dark elves trust you, the dryads and tree-folk trust you – pretty much all of the demi-human species trust and respect you."

"Is that an order?" he wanted to tell Yanagida to just, well, the words wouldn't be appropriate and under normal circumstances could result in a court-marshal, but it was probably a sentiment that many of those serving under Yanagida felt about their CO.

"No," the 1st Lieutenant sighed. "Just give it a day or two to think things over."

* * *

A/N

I think I'll that should be enough for this week.

Dreamingfox


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes –

Thanks for all the reviews and much needed criticisms. This is a crossover fic, but those of you who have read some of my other fics know that I do not stick to the plot of either sources but blend first and then shake things up.

I hope you all continue to enjoy this work.

Of course, because this is a crossover fanfiction, I do not own anything and I do not profit from this aside from stroking my ego and hopefully improving my writing.

Thanks.

* * *

Darkness filled the room, obscuring the features of those gathered. No human eye could pierce the shadows. Though she appeared to be human, the regal woman could not even recall a time when she had been anything but a goddess. In her time in Falmart she had seen the arrival of all of the sentient species – tree-folk, elves, dwarves, minotaur, merfolk, centaur, giant, orc and goblin, neko, avian, and finally the humans yet none of them had caught her interest as much as the humans, that was why she had engineered the gate to open when and where it had. In the three millennia since they had arrived they had driven out centaurs, nearly exterminated most of the demi-human species, and subjugated the rest all without unifying as a species. It had taken the humans nearly three thousand years to gain control of Alnus Hill, and another five hundred years for one human kingdom to successfully claim it.

She had intended for the Gate to reopen in the human's native world, but she had not expected them to advance so far in three millennia. Still, their military power was nothing compared to the young warrior that had fearlessly entered the Gate alone and well in advance of his peers. Ranma Saotome was an intriguing individual but he was still mortal. She knew that he was a prideful whelp and a braggart, which was why she took great pleasure in making him think that he was responsible for the plague that had beset the humans. His feeble mind could not comprehend the machinations of a goddess such as herself, though even her fellow gods could not see that she was pulling their strings. Elange and La were problematic, but they were lesser gods without a loyal apostle between them. Only Emloy had managed to send her apostle to investigate, which was why Giselle had woken the flame dragon.

Thinking of her apostle's defeat at the hands of the mortal Ranma Saotome soured Hardy's mood. Still, she knew that now was not the time to deal with him. One of her followers was already dealing with Saotome and his companions. Still, it was but a minor set-back and Saotome had spread the spores from Wareharun's child with the storm that he had conjured. Even now it was creating an army for her loyal minions that would soon overrun Falmart.

"Goddess," Giselle's trembling voice broke the moment, "what would you have me do?"

Again Hardy's mood darkened. She had not expected Giselle to fail her and thus had not developed a secondary plan. As evenly matched as Giselle and Rory were, the goddess had expected her apostle to capture Rory with the flame dragon and its brood aiding her. "You have disappointed me." It was all she could say as she had no idea what she wanted the humbled apostle to do. "Leave me." The plan had been decades in the making but had been undone in the blink of an eye. There was only one flame dragon in all of Falmart, and Giselle had not the means to traverse to the other continents, not when she was needed to deal with Rory.

And of course Rory could not ally with Ranma Saotome. It was fortunate for Hardy that the two were so alike that they could not stand each other. Still, they seemed to throw their lot in with the same crowd though, which could not bode well for the goddess' plans. No, she would need to do something to keep them occupied while her other plans were developing.

* * *

Unlike most of the men in green, Ranma had grown his hair long enough to keep a ponytail though the rest of his hair was no longer than any of the other uniformed men. In his female guise the ponytail was still present and helped the locals differentiate Ranma from Ford's cursed form as the minotaur let his locks flow unhindered. It was because of the ponytail that he had become easily recognizable whenever he was around.

When he went somewhere people waved, not just because it was the polite thing to do, but because they knew (of) him. The civilians did it because they were grateful to him and generally liked him, the other soldiers did it because he was an easy going guy who, when off duty, generally had time to share interesting stories over a drink or two. Unfortunately, Ranma had become a regular fixture at the hastily constructed hospital where he was once again easily and quickly recognized.

"You do know that smoking is bad for you, right?" Ranma asked the woman. Most of the JSDF knew who Noriko Mochizuki was as she was the only Japanese civilian currently at the base. There was talk of eventually opening up the fort to journalists and even officers and prominent bureaucrats from other nations, but that was still only speculation.

Letting out a long stream of toxic smoke she idly turned her head towards him before turning to once again gaze at the artificial lights in the ceiling.

"This is a hospital," he added as he took a step towards her.

Her face remained facing the ceiling though her eye shifted to him as he approached. "What does the famous Legion Slayer, killer of Flame Dragons want with me?"

He paused, unsure. He'd been unsure how to approach her since she'd been cleared by her doctors. Physically she was fine, but the samples that the doctors had collected from her (and from him) had helped them prevent an epidemic from hitting the JSDF's soldiers even as it softened the blow on the residents of the special region. Yet despite those victories Arpeggio was still bedridden and had yet to wake. "You know that you don't have to stop by and check on me every time you stop and check on your wife."

Despite his best efforts, Ranma could feel his eyes twitch.

"You should hear the nurses talk about you," Noriko said as she put the cigarette to her lips. She paused to take a long drag, release more toxins into the air, and then turned to him as she extinguish the butt in an ash tray. "Ranma Saotome – the famous Legion Slayer. I guess you were too busy killing the invaders to keep them from kidnapping me and the others."

Her words cut him like a knife even though she had delivered them devoid of any anger or bitterness. Perhaps it was the lack of emotion that made her words sting all the more.

"Maybe it's because of what I've been through, but I know it's not your fault." He could see the muscles in her jaw clinch as she fought back the torrent of emotions that she was feeling. "I won't absolve you for your inability to do any more than you did because it was beyond your control." A tear trickled down her cheek. "It's because of what you did that more girls didn't end up like me. It's because of you that my little brother is alive."

She was sobbing now, a river of emotions gushing from her in the form of tears. "I thought he was dead along with my parents, but he survived because 'some guy with a ponytail beat up the bad people'." Her warm tears ran down his chest as he found himself cradling her to him. "He said that for three days you fought them all, helping save others until the JSDF finally reached you; that you'd overturned a truck, van or car and used that as a barricade so that the invaders had to fight through you to get to everyone else. Thank you, thank you, thank you…."

As suddenly that the moment had begun, it was over as Ranma instinctively lashed out with a kick. To her credit, the mysterious attacker managed to evade his kick, stopping short of it before bounding into the air, taking out several lights, and landing in the shadows.

Noriko had not even noticed that Ranma had swept her into his arms. "Thanks," he whispered to her, "I didn't realize that I needed that."

Despite the darkness he could see the attacker's eyes. Glaring at her, he shot her a daring look even as he set Noriko down. "Now that you've had your smoke and cry, why don't you get back to your room; it's after hours and your nurse is probably going to be stopping in to check on you soon."

He made sure to stand between Noriko and the darkened hallway as the teen returned to her room.

"You can either make this quick and easy, or I'll chase you down and break every bone in your body," he whispered at the shadowy figure. "Either way, you're not getting away Delilah."

The bunny warrior turned waitress hesitated. "How did you know it was me?"

"I smelled the lotus ale on you," he replied. He could see the doubt in her eyes as she assessed the situation. "You're stalling."

"I wanted to see how good you truly are," the proud bunny stated. "I had thought that you had left an opening for me to exploit, but I was wrong." Bowing her head as she knelt, Delilah sheathed her blade before sliding it over to Ranma.

"Why are you here?" he asked, not bothering to pick up the weapon.

Staying silent, Delilah kept her eyes glued to the floor. "I was sent here to kill Noriko."

"Wait a second - Why?"

"I do not know why?"

"No, why are you telling me so quickly?" he asked. "Seriously, I thought you'd stall or at least try to lie to me."

"What good is it for me to lie to you?" she responded. "You who have slain the flame dragon and claimed its young as your own – you could raze Italica with the dragons or slaughter the citizens without even breaking a sweat. Though you present yourself as an honorable and considerate person, I can tell that there is a darkness inside of you - within you lies a berserker."

For the second time that night Ranma felt himself rattled. That was one side of him that only a handful of his superior officers knew about and was not something that he had displayed in any of the JSDF's engagements. "How'd you know?"

"I could sense it when you were in Italica during the siege but it was not until now that I realized what you were. I had thought the two of you vulnerable but when you struck at me I could feel you trying to hold back the berserker and then you looked at me while I was in the shadows, I knew for sure that you are a berserker.

"The bunnies are a proud warlike people – every generation one is born who will rise up and lead their tribe to victory. It is why the Empire feared us and sought to eradicate us. The last one appeared years ago and united the tribes to fight the Empire but was slain only through an act of betrayal and treachery. Her daughter sought to become chieftain but could only do so once the current chieftain was dead. Once she died, her daughter ruled over us and ultimately betrayed us to the Empire.

"You are a berserker – you can lead my people to victory." The look in her eyes spoke not of battle, but of lust and love.

Instinctively Ranma took a step back only to find that Delilah had grabbed hold of his foot. "I swear to you my everlasting loyalty. I do not mind sharing you with others – we bunnies understand that love is not limited to a single mate."

"What is going on here?" a woman's voice broke the atmosphere.

Both warriors turned to the nurse and the MP that accompanied her.

"It looks like someone is proclaiming their love," the MP joked.

He hadn't realized it at first, but Ranma quickly understood that Delilah was wearing a skimpy fur outfit – or was the fur hers? "Find the officer on duty," he said to the MP though his eyes pleaded for the soldier to switch places with him.

The MP quickly pulled the nurse down the hallway, "I think we should leave them alone."

* * *

Aside from his reputation as a formidable and honorable warrior, he was also known to be generous and considerate, occasionally arrogant and boastful, but never disrespectful. Few realized that he was that way because his father was a near opposite of the son. Those who knew Genma Saotome tended to find the man's actions and behavior as repugnant, inconsiderate, exploitive, dishonest, dishonorable, and disrespectful. Joining the military had been a way for Ranma to distance himself from his father and disrespect him as Genma had thought little of civil servants and nearly threatened to disown Ranma for enlisting. Of course Genma had not followed through with his empty threat as it would have meant that his own life was forfeit, though he had worked hard to convince his wife that Ranma's choice was acceptable.

Those who really knew Ranma knew that he was genuine and sincere when he was being considerate despite knowing that he did what he did because he was trying to make up for his father's failures as a man and as a martial artist. That he spent so many days visiting the hospital and clinic spoke volumes of his loyalty to his companions, even though Arpeggio was considered to be, at best, a common servant.

Still, it was because of Genma that Ranma knew how scoundrels, vagrants, and cowards behaved. When faced with a foe that they could not defeat in a straight up fight they resorted to underhanded tactics, manipulating others into doing the dirty work, and distracting their foes. That was why Ranma knew that it was his fault that Arpeggio was at the hospital. Yes, it had happened just as an outbreak of the flu had struck the inhabitants of the Special Region, but what she had was more than just the flu. Most of the other patients had already been discharged while the first official patient was still in an isolated ICU.

The thwarted attack on Noriko was all the proof that Ranma needed – someone had targeted Arpeggio. What it was though eluded the doctors and medical people that the JSDF and the Special Region combined. It did not help that the medical personal were still busy trying to find a means to stop the spread of the zombie infection that was sweeping through the Empire.

Ranma was not a man of faith. Yes, he would sometimes curse the kami, and he had even met some who proclaimed themselves to be gods in his world and in this world, but he did not believe in them. When the healers and doctors said that they had done all they could and that Arpeggio's fate was to be left to the gods, the martial artist had fought back the urge to slap them all silly.

It was because of him that they had done all that they could for her. The JSDF's doctors had their hands full with the outbreaks and would have simply shuffled her into quarantine he had insisted that, through the rituals and customs of the Special Region, that they were now married. They had spent a few nights sharing a room together during their travels and it might have been a stretch, but even Lelei had spoken up saying that she was in support of their union.

The steady beeping of the various monitors had long since become background noise to Ranma as he pulled a chair up to Arpeggio's bed and sat beside her prone form. In his time in Nerima he had picked up a few tricks from Dr. Tofu. Not all of the scientifically minded doctors relied on the tried and true approaches taught in the universities and medical school. But because Dr. Tofu and his ilk could not conclusively pinpoint every facet of their "holistic" or "alternative" practices they were thought of as not being true doctors. Many of their peers saw them as being lower than even dentists.

Ranma didn't care about that. He cared about results, methods be damned. That was why he took his wife's hand into his. Her hand was hot to the touch, a bad sign considering that he had survived dragon fire, phoenix fire, and had a degree of immunity from heat and fire. The anti-inflammatory medication that the doctors were using had started to take a toll on her kidneys. The Special Region did not have ice naturally forcing the Japanese doctors to rely on their ice machines. Yao and the other elves were already spread thin casting cooling spells throughout the hospital to help with the other patients.

For nearly a week Arpeggio had been unconscious. Conventional methods such as anti-inflammatory medication had failed to control her fever. That had lead to stronger prescriptions, adding water, ice, and cooling spells.

Draped in a wet, white robe that barely hid her figure, Arpeggio lay motionless in the bed as Ranma quickly undressed before climbing into the bed and wrapping his arms around her. He was not surprised that the moisture about her was warm as it failed to trigger his curse.

"You're sure about this?" Kurokawa asked. She was just a combat medic, but Ranma needed someone familiar with blood transfusions.

"I'm sure." He closed his eyes as he focused on what he'd need to do.

The cotton ball felt cold as Kurokawa swabbed his arm. He fought the urge to scratch or swat at the combat medic even as he felt the slight prick of the needle as she inserted it into his vein. Had his eyes been open he would have seen the soft, blue glow that his dark blood had as it flowed from him into Arpeggio, transferring some of his aura into her.

Mentally he mapped out the path of his blood as it was infused into the scholar. His own medical knowledge was but a fraction of even Kurokawa's, but he could feel his blood coming into contact with Arpeggio's. It felt as though he were trying to force his way through a wall of lava.

Focusing, he pushed past the wave of seemingly insurmountable heat. He was not sure how much time had passed, but he soon found himself drawn towards the hottest parts of her. It felt as though he was slowly extinguishing a raging forest fire, but he was not afraid of the flames or the heat. He knew that he needed to do this else she would never wake again.

* * *

The hot wind of the arid desert caressed her dry skin as it pierced the shift that she wore. Arpeggio knew that the thin fabric would do little to protect her from the elements but it was all she had as the library needed the heavier materials to keep the books from getting wet. Whatever happened to her was of little consequence as it would be the books and the knowledge that they stored that were more important as generations to come would need to reference the information and would not care about the lowly librarian that had once tended to the books.

A fierce wind threatened to blow away the rickety shelter that she had constructed to protect the books, though in all honesty, she knew she should have looked up architectural books before she had tried to construct the building.

"There's an easier way." It was a familiar voice, but when she turned around no one was there. "You are a mineralogist – use your knowledge."

"But I am," she grunted as she felt a chill wind rip at the light cotton garment that barely covered her.

"You know, but do you understand?"

Arpeggio clinched her jaw. Of course it was Ranma – who else could it be? In the short time that she had known him he had taken center stage in her life. Yes, she was asked by Elange to chronicle the arrogant warrior's quest and while he and the others offered her fair compensation for everything, it had only been recently that she had been able to return her focus on the minerals and elements that so interested her.

Wait… why wasn't she in the lab? How did she find herself in this desert? How long had she been there?

Her head hurt as she tried to piece together those fragmented thoughts.

Ranma… Why was he in her head? He was brash, arrogant – but he wasn't the typical muscle bound fool. He wasn't even the typical commander or general. He was considerate even of his enemies. After the Siege of Italica it had been Ranma who had insisted that the dead, all of the dead, were given proper and respectful last rites. She had seen the pain in his eyes when he looked at all those he had killed and seen the regret and pain in his eyes. He had mourned the loss of life even as he ensured that those who he had spared made sure to make the most of their second chance for he could have easily slain them had he wanted to.

It was Ranma who had volunteered to aid Yao and the dark elves when no one else would or could. He had taken leave of his duties with the JDSF to aid others even at the risk of his own life though he had been confident that he would prevail. The only moment where he had been fearful for the elves had been when the Apostle Giselle had appeared suddenly and threatened to kill them. Ranma did not fear for his own life, but for the lives of those he was aiding and protecting.

Though he had an odd sense of honor, he was someone who could be depended upon. He was also not just a warrior but a student of the arts.

Her heart seemed to slow as she thought of those overlooked aspects of his personality.

Each of those scenes appeared on a page. The chaotic winds seemed to summon more pages together before being bound into a gigantic book. She saw a picture of herself in one of the pages that flew into the book then suddenly several blank pages joined the bundle and landed in her hands.

She wanted to open it to see the end of his journey, but she knew that the book was not complete as his life was far from over.

"Arpeggio?"

She was surprised when she felt his cool hand on her shoulder, even as she clutched the book to her bosom. "Ranma," she muttered. Suddenly she was in his arms, nestled against his chest and looking into his alluring blue eyes. "I love you."

He did not flinch at the words, though he did smile warmly. "I know." He blushed though he did not break eye contact, "I, I think I love you too."

She eyed him skeptically, "You 'think' you love me?" This was too close to reality to be a dream.

"Well," he muttered sheepishly, "I've never really loved anyone before."

She opened her mouth to object but recalling how he talked about his father and how he had only realized that his mother was alive a few years ago (and that she had threatened to have him kill himself if he failed to live up to her expectation) she could understand that he might not love them, though he did hold them in some weird sort of regard. Besides, the love one had for a sibling or parent was different than the love between, well, lovers. "Fine," she muttered as she leaned in to rest her forehead against his, "for now."

Closing her eyes she sighed in contentment.

Soft, turquoise eyes gazed into hers. The eyes were familiar and had a hint of concern and relief in them, but they were not the steely, deep blue eyes that she'd expected to be greeted with. "Lelei, why am I all wet?"

* * *

There were times in his life when Ranma Saotome almost wished that he could be less conspicuous. In his male form he stood out because of his ponytail. Any other male soldier had to cut their hair short for sanitary reasons, but Ranma's curse meant that his superiors allowed him to get away with some thngs as they felt it was easier to simply overlook a few of his eccentricities. It had taken a day before the other male soldiers understood that Ranma was not getting special treatment but had special circumstances.

He was so exhausted that he failed to notice Yanagida standing before him until his body reluctantly pulled itself upright and offered the 1st Lieutenant a formal salute. Physically Yanagida appeared to be a standard grunt but the bars on his chest were the only things that separated him from the others.

"Saotome," Akira said as he returned the salute.

'Crap – what is it now?' "Sir," it was an automatic reaction now as a result of his military training.

"Report to Lt. General Hazama's office," Yanagida barked before turning away sharply.

What needed not be said was that Ranma had to change into his uniform and out of the sopping wet clothes he was currently wearing and into his male form. It took him less than ten minutes to reach his bunk, dry off, change, and appear before the Lt. General and his adjunct. Of course he had to wait to ensure that the 1st Lieutenant arrived before he did but still, not everyone could be as quick as Ranma though he did not want to make his superior officers look bad before their superiors or even subordinates.

"2nd Lieutenant Ranma Saotome," the Warrant Officer that was serving as the Lt. General's secretary said, announcing his arrival to those in the office.

The bright blue hair of his sister-in-law appeared beside the 1st Lieutenant's dark brown. Ranma quickly assumed the worst – that word of his sham marriage was affecting the negotiations and that he was being ordered to go back to Japan so that he could be removed from the Saotome family register before being dishonorably discharged. It was hard to tell the girl's expression as she seemed to emulate a Vulcan – cold and emotionless so as not to allow anything to taint her logic.

Of course there were a myriad of other logical reasons why Lelei was present, the most likely being that with Arpeggio still in the hospital the most qualified translator was Lelei. In which case there would likely be some diplomats or delegates from the Empire or one of the smaller tribes or kingdoms that were subjugated by the Empire. Said official was a handsome looking young man in perhaps his early twenties or late teens. Adorned in regal but impractical armor with golden trim and a golden devil or demon emblem, the man's posture suggested that he was used to getting his way most of the time.

"Sirs," Ranma saluted, "Lelei."

"Lieutenant Saotome," his superior officers returned.

"This is Prince Diablo," of course it was Yanagida with the introductions as it was beneath the Lt. General to do so.

"I am pleased to meet such an accomplished warrior," the prince said as he stood tall before Ranma. Lelei quickly translated for Yanagida and Kazama. "Tales of your accomplishments have reached even the Imperial Capital. Ranma Saotome – the Legion Slayer, defender of Italica, slayer of dragons, tamer of minotaurs, and the one whom the gods fear."

He couldn't deny any of those 'titles' though really, he hadn't tamed Ford, merely defeated the big guy a few times. Opting to play dumb, Ranma smiled at the prince before glancing at Lelei. "Thank you," he said, waiting for the girl to translate. "You have me at a slight disadvantage as I know nothing of you." In Japanese the words were neutral but in Empire's tongue it was a backhanded compliment. Lelei, to her credit, had translated it just as he had wanted her with his superior officers none the wiser.

From the way that the prince reacted it was clear that he understood that he had been slighted but was not in a position to rebuke Ranma. Had he known that Ranma knew their tongue he would have been even more offended, but he had let it slide as a mere lack of understanding or a translation issue. "I know that my dear sister believes that the Empire cannot win against Japan, and I have come to believe that myself. Unfortunately there are those like my father and my elder brother who believe that despite your military might, there are ways to defeat your army." He waited for his translated words to have their affect on the military men before him before continuing, "My brother, Prince Zorzal is resorting to less than honorable methods. He has put it out there that the Jayessdeef and Japan are responsible for the plague that has taken root. Many are inclined to believe that your unorthodox weapons and 'technology'" he'd purposefully used the Japanese word "disrupt the balance that the inhabitants of Falmart have with the land and thus brought forth a plague unlike anything that any have ever seen.

"I believe differently." Again he paused to allow Lelei's words to sink in though Ranma thought that he was actually trying to be a bit dramatic. "I believe that the empire is on the verge of a holy war."

"What would make you come to that conclusion?" Yanagida asked. He too did not need a translator though he waited for Lelei to translate for them both.

"I had a vision," Diablo replied. "In my dreams, Elange approached me. She told me that I should come here and prostrate myself before her the one whom she wishes to be her champion in this coming war."

Ranma saw the looks that his superior officers shot him as they listened to Lelei's translation.

"La and Elange are both scholars," the prince elaborated. "Their followers are mostly magi and scholars, but as powerful as they can be, they are not hardened battle magi. There are limits to what even a sage can accomplish." He set his eyes on Ranma. Diablo's words were sincere. "Elange believes that you, Ranma Saotome, best represent her desire to acquire by studying and sharing knowledge. Do you not wonder why the glass that she gave your chronicler has not turned black despite your triumphs? It is because Elange's test for you is to impart some of your knowledge to a capable student."

"And you think you're that student?" Ranma bit his tongue as he waited for Lelei to translate as he did not want to give away the fact that he understood every word out of the prince's mouth.

The prince appeared flustered. Of course he thought he was the best suited to learn and eventually master the martial arts from Ranma. Why wouldn't he? Yes, he was second in line to the throne, but he had accomplished much more than all his brothers combined. "I, I would like to at least try."

Ranma scoffed at the prince's attempt at humility. The man before him knew little of humility, still…

"There will be others," Diablo added. "I know not which deities have taken an interest in you, but I know that they have all reached out to some of their faithful and beckoned them to seek you out."

Though Diablo's words were meant to be encouraging, Ranma could not help but think that there was something ominous about them. He did not want to be the pawn for any gods.

"The Goddess also said that if you accept me as you student she will grant you the answer to your final question," the prince added.

He wanted to laugh. This was the feat that would perhaps be the hardest one for him. It was not a test of his physical strength, but of his pride. Ranma did not have to look at either of his superior officers to know that they wanted him to accept the offer, though neither one knew what it meant for him to do so. "Be at the training grounds outside Alnus Village at sunrise tomorrow."


End file.
